A Thirst to Prove Himself
by dem bones
Summary: 7 years after the Potters died, Snape discovers they have left Harry to him and out of obligation he removes him from the Dursleys but he doesn't want him so who has raised Harry all this time? Contains DARK THEMES.
1. Chapter 1

Title: A Thirst To Prove Himself

Author: dem bones

Genres: Supernatural/Horror

Pairings: One-sided H/G and R/HG, Eventual H/HG

Summary:7 years after the Potters died, Snape discovers they have left Harry to him and out of obligation he removes him from the Dursleys but he doesn't want him so who has raised Harry all this time?

Warnings:This story revels in the fact that it can use Ron and Ginny a whole lot and mess with your minds. It also will not make a single effort in neglecting any 'despised' characters or bashing them whole heartedly. Character Death, OCs and dark themes.

A/N: This story was originally planned to be a story that attempts to realistically put H/HG in a romantic setting while at the same time making me completely entertained. The events in this story will be based on all seven books and all eight movies but by no means will directly copy them. Any ideas are welcomed at this point. I will be posting segments equivalent to each respected book when they are finished.

So far the word count for this story: 32,939 for the first book.

Chapter 1: Living with Malory

Years after the investigation of the destruction of the Potter's home in Godric's Hallow 7 years since their death, a rugged shaggy haired auror apparated into Hogsmeade.

He walked into the Hog's head greeting Albus Dumbledore in the pub, who looked to have just finished partying.

"Dumbledore, I've found something you might want to look at."

The shaggy man brought out a black dented metal box that had escaped the ruins.

The older man pointed his wand at the box, opening the lock.

Inside was the Potter's last will and testament.

"What does it say?" The shaggy man asked.

"Should the Potters return to the dust, they would like to give their child to Severus Snape."

"Snape?!" The young shabby man inquired incredulously. "Why would they do such a thing and why would they leave a will?"

Dumbledore smiled mysteriously.

"Perhaps it was due to the chance that they could possibly die." The old man murmured.

The shaggy haired man left. Looking at the will with a look of raving madness, Dumbledore incinerated the parchment.

Like a typical time when visiting the Hog's head, everything was overheard. Dumbledore, whose sanity was slowly diminishing over the two wars couldn't help forgetting this small fact as he left the pub.

Lucius Malfoy had been enjoying a drink himself when he had heard it.

After suavely finishing his drink, Lucius stepped outside and apparated to Snape's home in Cokesworth.

It was with indifference that he knocked on the door of his old friend.

"Come on, Snape I know you're there." Lucius called out.

Snape opened the door glaring at him.

"Well look who's grouchy this morning."

"What are you doing here, Lucius?" Snape inquired.

"Can't a friend drop by to visit?" Lucius retorted.

"You never drop by unless as you say there is something 'cheesy' brewing in the rumour mill."

"I'm hurt. Do you really think me so shallow? I thought we were friends." Lucius teased with mock humour.

"Spit it out Lucius. I don't got all day."

Lucius turned serious.

"Dumbledore got his hands on the will of the Potters. Apparently they requested that you be the guardian of their son should they die." He said. "The Dark Lord would turn in his grave if he heard that. What a lucky man you are."

"What makes you think I want to take the boy in?" Snape snarled.

"So fiesty." Lucius mocked.

Snape schooled his face into indifference.

"You don't like kids? My son would be hurt."

"I'd turn in my grave before I took that troublesome son of his."

Lucius chuckled.

"Pity, I imagine the Dark Lord would be very disappointed that his most loyal servant passed this opportunity to kill his nemesis so quickly." Lucius drawled. "Or perhaps maybe you're not as loyal to the Dark Lord as all of us were so inclined. Maybe you'll honour that mudblood's wishes and spare her son."

Snape's expression was stone, undeterred by his friend's insults.

"This has nothing to do with my feelings for Lily. If you're so inclined to try to persuade the dark lord otherwise, it'd be an honour to inform him of your hesitance in providing him means to return back to life." Snape explained. "The reason I don't want to take him in is simple."

A piece of parchment caught Lucius' eye.

"Your aunt has been writing you again hasn't she?"

Snape glared at him.

"Get out!"

"She wants to reconcile with you doesn't she. I could imagine her face should you decide to give her that half-blood."

"Out." Snape snarled shoving Lucius out the door.

Snape looked at the letter from his aunt spotting a vial of memories possibly dropped off before Lucius had left.

HpSS

Months later, Snape was outside the door of the Potter's solicitor, Rosa Johnson.

The woman as referenced in Lucius' memories was the one who seemed to be called as the executor.

Snape knocked intently on the door.

"Come in."

He walked confidently inside. The woman behind the desk seemed surprised at his appearance.

"Can I help you she asked?"

"I need to see Rosa Johnson."

"You're speaking to her."

"My friend happened to come across a will left by the Potters?"

"I don't handle estate affairs." She said.

"The Potters instated you as the executor of their will." He snarled.

She sighed.

"Where is this will then?"

"It was burned."

"Then why are you here?"

"I have my friend's memory of the ordeal."

"I assume you can give me a copy of that memory." Rosa inquired doubtfully.

Snape scowled.

"Of course I can."

Rosa handed him an empty vial.

The man placed his wand at his temple pulling out strands of his memories from his head and placing them in the long glass tube before handing it to her.

She went to the back of her office and took out the large grey cauldron, her pensieve where she looked carefully over her memories.

Rosa dumped the memories in the cauldron and dived in.

Minutes later, she came back out.

"So to sum it up, Dumbledore burned the will?" She inquired angrily.

"Yes."

"I will want a copy of this memory to send to Gringotts and to the Ministry for the affairs concerning Mr Potter." Rosa said. "If you intend to retrieve Mr Potter from his current guardians, I happen to have a copy of their will in my desk as the two happened to be good friends of mine."

HPSS

Outside the residence of Privet Drive, Arabella Figg who had spotted and recognised the sister of her friend Eileen Prince staring over the Dursley's property, walked towards her eager to ask why she was standing there.

"Is there a reason you are outside the Dursley's home?"

"So is this where I can find Harry Potter?"

Ms Figg's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're looking for Harry Potter?"

"Yes, my nephew insisted I drop by to pick him. Y'see he said that the Potters offered him the guardianship of the boy."

Ms Figg looked shocked.

She handed her the copy of the will from the Potter's.

"I see."

Malory Prince, a stern looking woman with red and blonde hair tied in an untidy bun, intently knocked on the door of the Dursleys.

A beefy man opened the door. He looked over the woman wearing what looked like traditional wizard garb.

"You're one of them aren't you?" He inquired rudely. "Your kind aren't welcome here."

Malory glared at the man.

"I am not here to visit you muggles. I'm under the impression that you've taken Harry Potter under your wing." Malory forced with as much politeness as possible.

"There's no one here that goes by that name." Vernon Dursley said, flush in the face.

The redness of his face clearly gave him away.

"My nephew is the legal guardian of the boy, I insist you give him to me or you may run into some complications." Malory said.

Vernon looked visibly shaken, his eyes wide with fear.

"The Potters have requested that my nephew take in boy." She said waving the copy of the will in front of his face.

"I'm not scared of you."

Malory shot a mumbling charm, a disarming hex and a disillusionment charm on his body before stepping gracefully into his house. Never in her life was she going to conform to muggle laws and she wasn't going to start.

She headed upstairs having caught Dudley as he left his bedroom.

"Who're you?" He asked.

"I assume you are the son to that beefy man?" Malory inquired curtly in return. "Do you know where Harry Potter is?"

"Oh, his room is in the cupboard under the stairs." Dudley said, caking his words with as much politeness as possible.

Malory was indifferent to the information as she treaded down the stairs. Bracing herself for anything she unlocked the door under the stairs with her wand.

Inside was a young boy looking up at the ceiling from where he was lying on his bed. He was tossing a small plastic white ball in the air with boredom.

"You are Harry Potter, yes?"

"Who're you?" Harry asked, turning to look at her curiously.

"I am Malory Prince, my nephew has asked that I stop by to take you to my house for the rest of the summer. Your parents left a will to give you to him should they die."

"Alright." He agreed, surely the Dursleys wouldn't let a complete stranger inside their house.

The young boy followed Malory outside the Dursleys.

"Hold onto my arm." Malory said.

Harry grabbed her arm.

"Tighter."

Harry held on for dear life, then he had the overwhelming sensation of being condensed and squeezed into a thin tube.

The next moment he opened his eyes, Harry saw he was standing outside a wire gate. On the sides was what looked like spiny wire fence from what he could see as most of the fence was covered with red rose bushes.

He looked up to see Malory take out a thin wooden stick waving it over the gate.

The wires on the gate unraveled an entrance way for the two.

Malory beckoned Harry to follow her. He could see a large manor in the distance.

Once inside, Malory encouraged Harry to shred off his coat.

Harry gave his coat to her to hang on the coat stand as he absorbed the site of the manor's interior.

It appeared the manor was quite vast, on the ceiling was a beautiful glass ceiling where he could see the sun shining blindly through the windows.

"I expect you to promptly arrive for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is at 7, Lunch is at 12, and Dinner is at 5." Malory said curtly.

Harry could respect that the woman while stern was also straight to the point.

Malory lead Harry to his rooms at the end of the manor.

HPSS

At around dinner, Harry walked into the dining room on the way to the kitchen with the intent of cooking his dinner. The boy had thought it was his obligation so it was quite a surprise to see Malory sitting at the table with two reserved plates for the both of them.

"My nephew has decided to allow me to help you study magic before you go to Hogwarts." She explained. "Unfortunately since he seems to think that wizards your age shouldn't be taught any better, I feel it's even more important to teach you about our traditions."

"Albrecht, GET YOUR ARSE IN HERE RIGHT THIS MINUTE!" Malory screeched from the top of her lungs. Harry thought she almost sounded like a harpy.

A small ugly grotesque creature suddenly appeared from the air. The creature wore a fancy blue flat hat, an apron coated with multi-coloured paint, and a fake moustache above it's lip.

"This dear, is a house elf. Their purpose is to give us things. All you need to do is ask." She explained.

The house elf looked such a pathetic sight that Harry felt sorry for it.

"Um, thank you for the meal." He said softly.

Albrecht's eyes widened at the compliment.

Malory's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing into a brutal glare.

"Did I say thank the creature? He's a servant for Merlin's sake."

Harry laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry." He said, though Malory had the impression that he didn't mean it.

She huffed indignantly.

"That elf just needs one more excuse to let flattery go to his head." Malory drawled irritably, rubbing her forehead with the tips of her fingers.

After the two finished their meal, Harry followed Malory to her room. Harry had forgotten where his room was so caught up with dinner and everything.

Inside her room, Harry saw various art pieces on the wall of beautiful landscapes.

Malory had been collecting the paint she had her house elf retrieve for her before dinner when she saw Harry on the corner of her eye.

"What are you doing in here?" She inquired sternly.

Harry flushed.

She visibly relaxed the moment she saw him looking uncomfortable in her presence.

"Did you forget where your room is?" She asked, murmuring it so quietly as if trying to calm someone down.

"Uh, yes." He stammered. "Those are nice paintings."

She turned and smiled at Harry.

"Thanks." She said, stopping what she was doing. She grabbed Harry's hands walking him slowly to his room as if she wanted Harry to remember where it was.

Before they parted ways, Malory looked into his room. A warmth filled her heart as she looked at the boy.

"Good night, Harry."

HPSS

Years had passed when Harry had went to breakfast one morning. Malory was looking quite anxious, antsy and a bit edgy.

"What's the matter, Aunt Malory?" Harry asked.

"Uncle Lionel is dropping by next week, he wants us to visit the manor." Malory replied.

"Then what's the problem?"

"Harry." Malory replied in warning.

"Does it have to do with my blood status?"

"Yes, I'd rather you not tell Lionel anything about your blood status. He hates half-blood wizards."

Normally something like that would offend him, but Malory had told him something similar when Harry had been wondering why she had been distancing herself from him.

For it had taken months for Malory to finally warm up to him.

"Muggles have always scorned us, our family always told us to stay away from muggles because of that." She said.

Harry remembered a boy that had lived next door who had always played with him while he was at the Dursleys.

The Jones family had a son that would often play with him, unfortunately Dudley would always beat him up whenever he managed to get his hands on him.

Still the boy never abandoned Harry. Harry remembered insisting the boy leave him, not wanting the boy to get beat up by Dudley because he knew he was only doing it because he was his friend.

The boy was just like Dudley, he had no magic ability. Harry remembered even showing him his powers. That incident had given hope that not all muggles were bad.

Malory had seemed touched when Harry told her the story. It had surprised him significantly as he had always thought he might have been too obnoxious, too freakish for the woman.

He had asked her one day about it.

"Do you hate me?"

Throughout the conversation, Malory realised what Harry had really asked when he had told her of the Dursleys.

"It's not you, Harry. Don't ever think that." She said. One of the things Harry had learned that day is that prejudice kind of hatred wasn't something personal and that hatred would always be there because all humans were ignorant. It wasn't a flaw, it had nothing to do with him as a person and that gave him hope that things could change even if they never seemed to.

"Never think that Harry. Every time you think of that, remember this song."

Malory began to sing him a song.

_'Even when the sun goes down_

_Even if evil triumphs over good_

_Even if all hope is lost_

_Even if you lose faith in believing._

_If there is a shimmer of light_

_A flicker of fire in the darkness._

_You can believe when all hope has failed, when you can no longer depend on faith_

_Even if that flicker of flame doesn't shine for you_

_Even if it shined brighter for unconcealed evil._

_Believe in that flicker of flame because that mere shimmer of light even if it's a flicker in the darkness that shines for someone else. Remember it still lights up your day.'_

The song was soothing like a lullaby.

"I won't tell him." Harry said to Malory in regards to telling Uncle Lionel about his blood status. He figured it would make Malory happier if she didn't have to hear any drama from her relatives.

The first time he met Uncle Lionel anyway, Harry thought him to be rather friendly. The man was tall with a tuff of sandy hair on his head with rugged side burns on the side of his face. He had sharp grey eyes that were a little intimidating but there was strangely a warmness present in his eyes.

"So whose this lad? I didn't know you had any more kids, Malory." Lionel said in excitement.

"My nephew had me take him in for a while." Malory explained looking non-chalant.

Lionel knelt down in front of Harry.

"What's your name?"

"Harry."

"Ah. That's a cool name."

The boy was unmoved by his statement, his eyes focusing instead on the inside of his home. Lionel Prince was the sole heir of the Prince family. Not only was he the only son of Janus Prince but he was also the eldest son. As the eldest son, Lionel was also the rightful heir of Prince Manor. It's where he resided.

Harry looked around the place. The Manor had a large living room with a fireplace on the right side. There was some stairs embellished with polish heightening the walnut colour of the wood, lined with scarlet carpet that led up to the second floor.

The kitchen was near the back of the house on the first floor behind the door to the back. Inside there was a room to dine as well as a room where the house elves cooked his supper.

Lionel brought them to the table in the dining room having his house elf brew some lunch for them all.

"Gourmet!"

A creature not unlike Albrecht immediately appeared with a white chef's hat.

"Give us some food quickly. If you leave our guests to starve you'll pay dearly." Lionel said, voice interlaced with the dark undertones of sheer sadism as if the thought of torturing his house elves was the highlights of his day.

Contrasted with this, it seemed for the rest of the day Lionel seemed to kiss up to them.

After their stay they had dropped by every now and then throughout the years and finally on the day before Harry's 11th birthday, Malory took him to see a friend of hers.

"Who are we seeing today, Aunt Malory?"

"Just a friend of mine." Malory replied curtly.

Once the two had walked outside the wards of her home, Malory apparated them to London.

Harry could see that the two of them had apparated in front of a pub called, 'The Leaky Cauldron'.

"Are we going inside?"

"Yes, unfortunately. You see my friend might have a slight drinking problem."

Just when they were about to enter the pub, a man with a white turban was exiting the building.

"Ah, Mr Potter I didn't see you there." He said.

"How did you know my name?" Harry asked.

"I was just talking to Hagrid about you. He was telling me how he was expecting your arrival."

"Who are you?"

"Quirinus Quirrell, but if you plan on attending Hogwarts then it's probably best you refer to me as you would to your professors."

"Then just make our acquaintance brief shall we? I don't got all day." Malory said pushing Harry along.

"I'll see you, Mr Potter."

"So what does Professor Quirrell teach?" Harry asked, eyes lit with curiosity.

"He used to teach Muggle studies though I heard recently that he's planning on taking the Defence Against the Dark Arts position. I certainly look forward to seeing what Hogwarts with teach you, Harry."

Harry wisely said nothing as the two walked into the pub.

The big raggy man looked up, eyes filled with mirth at Malory's presence.

"Don't even think about it, big guy." She said when the man made a move as if to hug her.

"Ah it's Harry." The man greeted upon catching a glance at the young boy.

Malory turned to Harry and motioned towards the giant man.

"This is Hagrid, the person I've come here to meet."

"He looks a little big doesn't he?"

Malory took her time and Harry thought she was almost scrutinising him with the way she looked him up and down as if he were something fascinating.

"Hagrid is my assistant with my research, I'm studying magic creatures in their habitats. I think with my research, wizards can finally find a solution as to how to replicate the effects of unicorn blood in potion brewing." Malory explained. "It's a handy ingredient in getting rid of harmful after effects of some dark curses."

HPSS

A day later at Dumbledore's insistence, Severus Snape accompanied him to Diagon Alley. The two it seemed were visiting Olliviander.

Outside the wand shop, Albus knocked on the rickety door.

Snape waited impatiently, eventually Olliviander came to the door.

"Albus, it's good to see you." Olliviander said, shaking Dumbledore's hand in a warm greeting. Snape followed lingering behind the headmaster like an unwanted shadow.

Snape snorted. Olliviander's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Ah Mr Snape, I almost didn't see you there." He greeted.

"If the two of you have already exchanged welcomes can we continue straight to the marriage vows."

Both men much to Snape's horror didn't seem perturbed at his statement.

'These two are insane.' He thought.

"Albus, you'll never believe it. Mr Potter dropped by here earlier to get his wand. He has the other wand, made from the other feather of your phoenix. He seemed very merry to put it in that extendable bag of his too. Compliments from your Uncle Lionel, he was always an expert at Charms." Olliviander said.

"Fascinating." Albus murmured, stroking his chin in wonder.

"I see Potter has once again reserved himself a place in the spotlight." Snape grumbled.

"Now, now, Severus."

Albus guided Snape by the shoulder and they both left Olliviander's company.

"You should come and visit more often. It's not often one visits to converse over tea."

Snape choked.

Albus saw he had turned green.

"Are you alright, Severus?"

"I'm fine." Snape replied, bracing himself against his body's averse reaction to the implications of Olliviander's statement.

'I hope that aunt of mine has taught that boy something, preferably some manners.' He thought.

HPSS

The next day, Malory took Harry to King's Cross.

"Do you see that wall between Platform 9 and 10, you need to run with the belief there is something on the other side." Malory told Harry.

Harry had his belongings and his owl that Malory had ordered for him in Diagon Alley.

"Alright." Harry said before running towards the wall faithfully.

Malory followed from behind him but not before Harry was bombarded by the paparazzi.

The blonde prissy woman known as Rita Skeeter was digging at Harry for quotes for a new article for the Daily Prophet.

"How do you feel your first day of school will go?" She asked.

"F-Fine I guess." Harry stammered feeling flustered at the gazes of the adults surrounding him.

"How does it feel to be famous?"

"You're smothering the boy." Malory cut in splitting the crowd and pushing her away from Harry.

Harry snuck away in the confusion. Near the train, he saw a girl was struggling to put her luggage on the train, so Harry pitched in to try and help her.

"Thanks." She said.

On further scrutiny, Harry could see she was fairly average looking and her face was surrounded by bushy brown hair.

She seemed to realise Harry was staring at her and scrutinsed him in return.

"That scar. You wouldn't happen to be Harry Potter, would you?" She asked.

Harry had the feeling she had heard about him when the paparazzi were surrounding him eager for an interview.

She seemed to greet him like a fan girl would greet a person from a band that they enjoyed much to his dismay.

"I'm Hermione." She stammered, flustered at having met him.

"Harry." He replied reluctantly.

Seeking any company he could find, Harry reluctantly joined the girl on the train.

In the back of his mind, he was pensive that he hadn't had the time to say goodbye to Malory.

HPSS

On the train, Hermione reserved a compartment in the front row. Their only company was a cheery light red-haired girl.

"What your name?" Hermione asked, after sitting across the girl making herself comfortable.

"Oh, Susan." The girl replied.

"You look excited. I've practised spells all summer, I can't wait to try them out."

Susan flushed.

"Surely you practised all summer." Hermione inquired, condescendingly.

"Do you have to be so overbearing?" Harry retorted.

"Then have you practised?"

"You're annoying."

Hermione flushed.

At some point the train must have been moving, when a fair haired boy slid open their compartment door.

"Have you seen a toad?"

"No." Both and Susan replied.

"I'll go help you look for it." Hermione said.

After Hermione left both Harry and Susan basked in an awkward silence for a couple of minutes.

"So what's your name?" Susan asked curiously.

"Harry."

"Harry Potter?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah." He replied irritably.

"Oh." Susan said softly. "I know that you-know-who gave you that scar but how exactly did it appear on your head?"

Harry was under the impression that Susan was pretty average as far as looks and intelligence went. The fact he had a scar seemed to be common knowledge even to Malory who had told him that his parents had died after trying to protect him from Voldemort but something about her question puzzled him.

"Is there any magic that kills without leaving any physical blemishes?" He muttered sarcastically.

"The Killing Curse." Susan replied pensively.

Harry was amazed at how fast she had replied. Thinking about it, if it was a curse that left no physical blemishes why did he have the scar? He didn't want to think it was something that distinguished him from everyone else and he certainly didn't want to think he was granted some super power from the wizarding gods in their most sacred holy place either.

"You sound as if you're very familiar with the curse."

"It killed my aunt and uncle." Susan explained. "My father had two sisters and a brother you see."

Harry thought that never knowing his parents was terrible, but he come almost feel the sadness radiating from Susan at the revelation her dear relatives were dead.

"Luckily Aunt Amelia is still alive though." Susan said cheerfully.

"Where does she work?" Harry asked.

"The Ministry. She works as the head of the department of magical law enforcement."

When some time has passed a woman with a trolley had dropped by their compartment. Harry and Susan had bought a couple of treats for the rest of the train ride.

For the rest of the trip both remained silent in wonder of what would happen once they had arrived at Hogwarts.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Potion Master

After Professor McGonagall had set the sorting hat down for everyone to be sorted in their respective houses, Harry among the other gryffindors was taken to the Gryffindor common room. On the way he passed through one of the ghosts named Nearly Headless Nick.

It happened to be Harry's first time seeing one though it wasn't the first time ever hearing about one. Harry found himself curious undeniably curious about it and decided to ask one of the prefects.

"Uh, why are there ghosts here? Usually they are restless spirits aren't they?" He asked.

There was a look of bafflement on the prefect's face.

"Ghosts are the dismembered souls of witches and wizards who are not exactly at terms with their deaths."

"So there is no closure for them?"

"There hasn't been anyone who had acquired the method of letting restless souls rest in peace."

"No one?"

"I imagine it might eventually be possible as it's a thought that seems most unobtainable." A dreamy female voice uttered from nearby. "Jules Vernes never thought underwater travel would be a possible reality when he wrote 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."

"What's she spewing off about?" The prefect asked, seeming rather annoyed by her demeanor.

"It's a novel. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." Harry explained.

"Ah."

Harry turned towards the girl who was standing next to him.

"What's your name anyway?" He asked her, mind riddled with curiosity.

"Oh me? I'm Lily Moon."

Upon further scrutiny Harry noticed the girl had fading blonde hair and dark blue eyes almost a violet sheen in colour.

He wondered if there was more to her then met the eye because a part of him found her oddly fascinating.

On Monday, Harry had gone to one of his first classes with Professor Binns, who taught History of Magic. Much to his shock the man was a ghost.

In theory as long as a professor of competent origin could provide a good lecture even a ghost could have enough competence to fill in that position.

If there was anyone in the class much less the school who was interested in Professor Binn's competence at all perhaps most of the students might have been smarter with a more competent professor. As it was the professor was known to never issue out grades on homework as most of the time students from other classes had used the paper that lay prone on the desk for inconspicuous pranking while Binns was turned the other way.

Perhaps if there was someone who had been a tad smarter, someone who had been open-minded to the fact that some change needed to be instigated in order to provide changes to the unprogressive method of study instigated by Professor Binns perhaps everyone wouldn't have been so stupid to sleep during classes that provided competent instruction but as it was most students including Harry had thought it prudent to sleep because likely none of them had any motivation to move up in life at all. If a wizard attacked them out of the blue, all the ignorant sods would die and the world would vanish and Harry Potter wouldn't be alive to care.

For most of the week, Harry had been tackling Herbology, History of Magic, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration.

On Thursday after Transfiguration class, Harry had several hours of break before dinner where wasted time sitting on the sofa staring into the fireplace.

Dinner had arrived several hours later. During this time, Harry saw a blond haired boy from the Slytherin table tap on the shoulder of a red haired boy from his table.

"What's the big idea?" The red head snarled.

"Enjoying your meal, Weasley? Fancy it won't be as tasty with that pumpkin juice poured on it will it?" The blond said pouring Weasley's pumpkin juice in his meal.

"Why you?" Weasley snarled as he turned suddenly pulling back on the blond.

Harry saw the professors running towards their table. Weasley seemed to catch on as well, releasing his hold on the blond.

The other boy was so surprised he fell backwards hitting his head at the end of the seat.

He watched with fascination when the blond hit the floor, unable to move and not wanting to get involved.

Professor McGonagall looked sternly at Weasley, Harry imagined she never looked so furious.

"Detention on Saturday with me for month."

"What? But Professor it was an accident." Weasley insisted taking out his rat from his jumper.

"No, excuses Mr Weasley." McGonagall said. " Now if I'm not mistaken that is a rat in your hands is it not? I believe the rules clearly state you are to have either a cat, owl or toad. Rats are not allowed."

Weasley reluctantly handed over his rat.

Two of the professors had helped the blond to the hospital wing. Of everyone standing there, one of the professors that were handling the blond stood out. The man had greasy black hair and sallow skin.

The sight made Harry form an instant hatred for the man. Living with a middle class family he was used to looking down at people who looked grubby looking and there was no doubt that may have skewered his perceptions of the man but he couldn't help being leery of the man. He glared at Harry as if he hated him and if he were completely honest with himself he was reminded of several villains with similar appearance from a young age.

The thought of that creepy old man having a heart at all simply was ridiculous because if this story was a book and he was the hero there was no way it was going to get a lot of readers unless he was a shallow sod with good looking friends and a skin deep attraction to vivacious attractive looking women.

HPSS

Harry spotted Weasley as the rest of the Gryffindors were heading to their common room.

"What happened that caused you to hate that guy so much?" Harry asked him curiously.

"He provoked me and my family. What he thinks just because our family line was tainted by muggles that he can just insult me?"

Harry despite himself felt sympathetic for Weasley.

"There's no need to feel so sorry for me." Weasley said.

He observed that the red haired boy was actually grinning at him.

"You're Harry Potter aren't you?"

"Yeah." He replied merrily.

"I'm Ron Weasley." He said.

"What exactly did you mean when you said he insulted you because your family line was tainted by muggles?"

Ron flushed. "Well, Malfoy is a pureblooded wizard. His family has only ever succeeded through marrying wizards and witches."

"Really?" Harry inquired. "From the impression I get, there aren't much pureblood witches and wizards these days. When Uncle Lionel came to Malory's house, he told me it's often kept a secret that wizards often elope with muggleborns to retain the bloodlines."

Ron seemed to absorb his words with something akin to wonder.

"You lived with pureblood wizards? You're a half-blood wizard too aren't you?"

"I did with the Dursleys for a while. They were my mother's relatives." Harry replied. "Do you have any other relatives?"

"I have 5 brothers and a younger sister." Ron said. "My sister has always looked up to you ever since mum told us that story of defeating You-Know-Who."

"That's nothing special." Hermione cut in to their conversation.

"What would you know?" Ron retorted in irritation.

"It sounds more dignified if he weren't such a coward." Hermione explained. "He didn't even have the courage to intervene when you were in trouble."

Harry stood quietly.

"Leave him alone." Ron replied indignantly.

"You're awfully quiet." Hermione said to Harry. "Not going to talk now that you don't have to?"

"You're just jealous because he talked back to you. You get off on anyone pushing your buttons." Ron snarled.

Hermione huffed and went to her common room.

The next morning as Harry was heading to breakfast, he stumbled across Susan Bones leaving the Hufflepuff portrait.

"Hey Harry." She said.

An older boy popped up from behind her.

"You must be Harry Potter." He said with anticipation.

Susan introduced the two.

"This is Cedric Diggory."

"So how are your classes so far?" Cedric asked curiously.

"Great, I guess."

"What class do you have today?"

"Potions."

"With Professor Snape?"

"Professor Snape? Who's that?"

"He's the potions professor, quite a nasty man. He seems to have the hobby of picking on his students." Cedric said. "Dumbledore should fire that man."

"Whose Dumbledore?"

"The headmaster of our school." Cedric said with pride.

"Listen Harry." Susan said with worry. "If that professor gives you any trouble, let me know. My aunt has friends that work for the school board."

Harry nodded, before they headed to the Great Hall together.

Having heard about Snape, Harry immediately proceeded to tell Ron what he had heard from Cedric.

"My older brothers say he always favors the Slytherins, I guess we'll be able to see if it's true." Ron replied.

Lily had met with Harry introducing her two friends, Chelsea Cummings and Janet Young from their house. Chelsea had short blonde hair with sly blue eyes and her friend Janet had shoulder length blood red hair and blue eyes. At most the two were pretty average looking, Harry thought them nice since both had provided him a seat between them. Lily sat between Ron and Chelsea near the back of the classroom.

The first day of potions class was one of the worst days in Harry's life. Harry regretted not having anything greater to look forward to.

Professor Snape was not only the nastiest man around, Harry recognised him as one of the professors who had helped Malfoy to the hospital wing.

He had subtracted points from Gryffindor and rewarded points from Slytherin. Not once did he take any points from Slytherin during the class which was something Harry kept in mind as the man had succeeded in mocking him, scolding him for not jotting down any notes or helping Neville with his potion. Harry was beyond angry, he was furious.

At the end of class it seemed the mood had also ensnared Chelsea and Janet who had scorned Neville for his lack of ability. Harry the lucky sod who was oblivious to the true nature of the two girls

"You incompetent toad. How dare you ruin Harry Potter's reputation?" Janet snarled.

You're not even worthy to breathe the same air as him." Chelsea taunted the fair haired boy.

Neville was spooked by their haunting gazes eventually giving in to their threats.

"That's what I thought you would say." Chelsea said with a hint of satisfaction. She would win over Harry Potter if it was the last thing she did.

HPSS

On the way to the Great Hall, Harry had run into Susan. He began ranting about potions class with Professor Snape.

"Clearly the man is incompetent...he insulted you, hindering you from learning a thing proving he doesn't know how to teach." Susan explained. "I'll talk to my aunt maybe she could arrange it so that he could be fired."

Hermione cut in.

"Yeah, because clearly everyone is going to make an exception for 'Mr Harry Potter' because he's the golden boy." She sniped. "If there was a god that dictated this, clearly they would ADORE you, Harry Potter. With the way you whine about professors being mean to you."

Harry flushed.

"It's nothing short of arrogance to think you're that special." Hermione said. "You might actually have learned something if you were paying any attention to his lecture and not his insults."

Harry was silent.

"What no comeback?" Hermione retorted furiously.

"I imagine the only way I could be as ARROGANT as you claim is if there was a god who allowed me to be raised by an adult who is made to be so stupid as to allow me the power to fire Professor Snape only because he hated me and because his teaching prevents ME from learning a thing because I'd be so conceited in thinking that just because he's making ME miserable I have to give excuses as to why I can't exert any true efforts in becoming smart." Harry said sarcastically. "Oh, and don't FORGET that this god would have to mock everyone that they hate for the sake of righting the justice in the world."

Hermione was silent.

"That sarcasm is as layered as a two-tier wedding cake." Ron said, snickering at Hermione's flushed face.

As the four headed to the Great Hall, Susan split off from them heading to the Hufflepuff table.

For the next week after missing flying lessons with Hooch, Malfoy had been released from the Hospital Wing.

Harry had what he thought was bad luck having stumbled across Malfoy after he had finished with Professor Binns.

"Hey." The blond called after him.

"What?" Harry inquired in return.

"You're Harry Potter aren't you? My father told me about you. Saved our hides, he said. Imagine it would be great to have such a great ally on my side." Malfoy said.

"Yeah, since clearly I'm reeking of someone who thrives on affection and lacks any sense to not befriend someone as loyal as you."

Malfoy flushed.

"Was that sarcasm? From the well-mannered golden boy?" Malfoy inquired with a grin.

"What's in it for me?" Harry asked impatiently. As he said that he began to recall what Ron had said about Snape favoring Slytherins. Coupled by what Harry had observed in Snape's class, he wondered if perhaps he could try to push the professor's buttons without getting his hands dirty.

"Depends what you want in return."

"You heard of Professor Snape?"

"Yes, but what about him."

"I need you to do a couple things the next time we have class with him."

"Oh and what would you have me do?"

"I've heard Snape favors Slytherins, I reckon he wouldn't have a problem if you stirred a little mayhem."

"Oh?" A chirpy voice said. "Looks like we have another generation of pranksters, Forge."

"I think you're right, Gred."

"Should we show him, Forge?"

"I reckon we should."

"Who're you?" Harry asked the two tall red-haired twins.

"Fred." The mischievous looking one with the crooked grin said.

"George." The other one said.

"What do you want to show me?"

Fred took out a piece of parchment composed of many layers of the castle.

"This map has all the floors of the castle mapped." Fred explained.

George pointed out the flaps on the map. "Each set of flaps are maps of one floor of the castle. I reckon the only one you'll need though is the dungeon floor."

"Unfortunately we haven't used this since Percy lost his rat after we were caught pranking him last year."

"Each floor tells you the names of people on that floor, witches and wizards y'see."

"He was so mad when he discovered his rat was missing. It's rather unfortunate he found it, though."

Harry looked at them suspiciously.

"We only used the map to find secret passages of the school." Fred said. "Honest. We didn't touch Percy's rat it just disappeared."

Harry looked skeptical.

"We had to find a spot to hide in order to get away from Professor Snape because we often pulled pranks on him in class." George said.

"Wha ha ha ha ha." Harry mustered an evil laugh.

"That's a good evil laugh, Harry."

HPHR

On the way to the Great Hall, Draco followed Harry who approached Ron at the Gryffindor.

"You're friends with Weasley?" Draco inquired with disgust.

If he was Dudley, Harry imagined he would love people fighting over him.

"Having second thoughts already?" Harry asked. "I thought we were good friends. I hope Ron won't get in the way of our friendship."

Draco flushed, aware of having been manipulated and fooled by Harry.

"Malfoy? You confided in that jerk?" Ron inquired irritably.

Draco turned to Harry looking like his ego had been taken down several notches.

"It doesn't help your case when you sulk, Malfoy."

"Weasley?! You sure know how to pick them don't you Potter."

Ron flushed.

"I must if I've managed to befriend both a pigheaded jerk and a Weasley." Harry said with a hint of humour.

The statement caused Ron to chuckle and Malfoy's face to turn even redder.

As they headed to the Dungeons on Friday, Ron pulled Harry aside.

"Look Harry, are you sure about this? Are you sure you can trust Malfoy?" Ron asked.

Harry sighed.

"It doesn't matter as long as I trim that haughty nose off of Snape's face I'll be happy." He said.

In potions class both the Gryffindors and Slytherins had been tasked to brew Essence of Euphoria.

Draco folded a piece of parchment subtlely handing the note to Harry as he made his way to Snape's desk to get potion ingredients.

Harry scooped it up so it landed in his laps, slowly unfurling it he read it's contents.

He looked up at Malfoy catching his eye, nodding his head in reply.

Draco wanted to know if he should pull the prank today. 'Of course' Harry thought, looking down on the boy's stupidity.

Yesterday Harry had told him to brew a potion that induced uncontrollable laughter imagining the professor was far too uptight.

Luckily for Harry, Draco had been learning potions since his father had got him that tutor. With the Marauder's Map, Harry was able to steal some ingredients from Snape's warded potions cupboard the other night to create it.

Harry got up to collect potion ingredients not long after providing distraction for Snape as Draco took out the vial filled with Essence of Euphoria and poured it into Snape's special coffee mug on his desk.

Afterwards Harry headed to his seat occasionally looking back to see if Snape had taken a sip of his coffee.

When he finally arrived in his seat he handed the ingredients to Blaise Zabini, a Slytherin Snape had assigned him with, letting him do the potion by himself as he looked on at the potions professor.

"You're kind of obnoxious for a Gryffindor." Blaise whispered humorlessly as he sliced some ingredients.

Harry stared at Blaise having the sense to at least look a little guilty.

Snape finally made a grab for the coffee taking a swig of the drink before standing up to check on everyone's potions.

As Snape got around to Harry and Blaise's potion, he began to sputter.

"Something wrong, professor?"

The potion professor narrowed his eyes at Harry in suspicion.

"P-Potter." He choked out as he seemed to be stifling what Harry assumed was laughter.

Suddenly a ghastly sound filled the air as Snape began to laugh uncontrollably.

"Y-You d-did something d-didn't y-you, P-Potter?" Snape asked, trying to control his laughter. His face was flush with the effort.

Harry stared at Snape defiantly.

"Actually Professor I did it." Draco said with a grin.

Snape whirled around. Harry thought he was looking for a Gryffindor in order to take points from their house but was sorely disappointed when he saw Draco.

The potions professor turned, scrutinising Harry skimming his surface thoughts about the ordeal.

"F-Five p-points from G-Gryffindor and d-detention with me, P-Potter." He said. "G-Give me that p-piece of p-parchment in your bag."

"Oh, you don't want to punish me?" Draco asked, laying on his desk in a sultry pose winking haughtily at the potion professor.

Snape flushed.

"Sit down."

"No." Draco said calmly.

While this was going on Hermione snuck in Snape's potion cupboard on the other side of the room.

'Why do boys act so immature?' Hermione thought. She had been reading through her potions book all summer but she had been having trouble retaining most of the information but she had heard Snape was a renowned potions master in the potions weekly magazines having patented a memory-retaining potion.

Certain he had brew of the potion in back she took the time to sneak back there to obtain the potion.

Harry sighed in disappointment at the reaction from Snape.

Blaise seemed to understand his disappointment.

"I know what you mean." Blaise whispered. "He doesn't seem to affect Snape's reaction that much does he?"

Harry pouted.

Blaise slyly pointed his wand at Draco, performing a bit of transfiguration on Draco's clothes and legs.

Suddenly Draco was standing on the desk clad in a red dress with spaghetti straps doing a dance with his feet.

The Gryffindors began to laugh at the display.

Draco was flush for a brief moment before Ron caught his eye, grinning before showing him some hand motions.

The blond was encouraged by the gesture and began doing a hula.

"S-Stop that." Snape said irritably.

Suddenly more of the class joined him with other renditions of his dance moves.

"G-Get out all of you."

Everyone needing the professor to say no more, left hurriedly out of the classroom.

HPSS

Once everyone had left the classroom, Snape headed to his potions cupboard in search of Calming Draught.

At the corner of his eye, he saw one of his homemade concoctions taken off the shelf.

'The memory-retaining potion.' Snape thought to himself. He wondered if it was Longbottom though from how sullen Ms Granger seemed to be she could have easily stolen it as well.

Still his main concern at the moment was Harry Potter.

After taking a swig of the potion, he headed to his office taking his jar of floo powder he had stashed in a drawer in his desk and headed to the fireplace in his office.

Calling for Professor McGonagall, he was greeted by her old wrinkly face.

"Yes, Severus how can I help you?" Minerva inquired with a stern greeting.

"Potter-" Snape spat, anger preventing him from clearly spitting out his thoughts.

"What did he do, Severus?"

"That boy is a menace." Snape snarled. "He's a bad influence on my students."

McGonagall looked puzzled.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Mr Malfoy thought it was a good idea to exhibit himself in front of the whole class dressed in women's clothing."

McGonagall stifled a giggle.

"It's not funny."

"Somehow Potter and his friends managed to smuggle a Draught of Euphoria in my drink. I would have laughed for weeks."

"You should. Being so melancholy everyday doesn't suit you, Severus."

Snape flushed in embarrassment.

"Anyway is that all you flooed me for?" McGonagall asked. Snape was under the impression that the woman could care less about any of the drama that had transpired in his class.

"A potion of mine is missing. I believe one of the Gryffindors may have got their hands on it."

"What potion might this be?"

"It's a memory retaining potion of my own creation. It causes whoever drinks it to retain knowledge. In small quantities it could be helpful in sharpening memory but it's still in the experimental process I don't know what large quantities of the potion will do."

"Severus!" McGonagall snapped in exasperation at the indifference of the potions professor.

"It isn't my fault if Potter's ideas gets someone killed."

"You're certain that a Gryffindor took it?"

"Slytherins have no reason to take a memory retaining draught." Snape retorted.

"Ok, no need to be snappish I'll be on the lookout for it alright?"

"Potter has detention with me on Saturday for a month so be sure to tell him that as well."

McGonagall huffed in exasperation as they both cut off the connection from the floo.

HPSS

The following week Susan informed Harry of the progress of their plan in firing Snape. Like the tough knocks of reality as opposed to wishful thinking, Harry who to sum it off would otherwise be spoiled and pampered from getting his own way basked in defeat as the plan of firing Snape had failed.

"Auntie said that he can't be fired unless he has currently broken any Ministry law. She said that incompetence, whatever that word means, is not a reason a professor can get fired."

Yes, unfortunately students who had the nerve to complain because they felt they were kings dressed in expensive robes, status high above the rest that needed everyone to worship them in praise weren't able to fire the mean old professor.

Just his luck, Harry had the mean old professor in detention that Saturday.

During the time prior to that Draco had broken off the temporary alliance with him saying something about Weasley's stupidity being contagious.

'If he is, then at least he has good sense not to make friends with someone like that.' Harry thought. Though he imagined in some other universe that he might have just passed up Ron for Draco because blonds were hotter than red heads.

Before detention, Harry accompanied Ron to the area where the school kept the owls.

Ron held his arm out as a snow owl had swooped on to his arm reminding Harry about Aunt Malory and Uncle Lionel.

'I should write to them.' Harry thought.

Irritably he wasn't looking forward to detention with Snape as he knocked on the large wooden door leading to the inside of the potions classroom.

"Come in."

The man said it with no apparent emotion behind it. That alone raised Harry's suspicions at the corner of his mind.

Cautiously he opened the door to greet the potions master behind his desk who assigned him to scrubs cauldrons and make potions.

"Professor."

"Did I say you could talk during detention?" Snape inquired furiously.

"Sorry." Harry mumbled.

The potion professor didn't seem to hear him, Harry thought he seemed lost in wonder.

"Professor?"

"Potter, I'd like to know how you did it?"

"Did what?"

"Mr Malfoy doesn't have an ill intent in his body. Did you put him up to it?"

Harry scoffed inwardly.

"No, Professor."

Snape scrutinised him with sharp eyes. Could the professor be trying to read his mind? He had heard of such magic from Malory.

Harry looked away after the brief scrutiny.

"Looking away, Potter?" The man inquired as if it was a victory to be won.

"Even if I did do it, you wouldn't have any evidence anyway." Harry replied, smugly.

Snape gritted his teeth at the boy's nerve.

"Out."

Harry didn't hesitate leaving Snape to his turmoiled emotions.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Memory-Retaining Potion

On Sunday after detention, Harry began to compose his letters to Aunt Malory and Uncle Lionel.

A week prior to Halloween, Harry had received responses from both of them.

With all the injustice of Snape it just wasn't fair he couldn't visit Hagrid after curfew. Aunt Malory had told him about her intentions of dropping by Hagrid's to pick up some potion ingredients.

He always had this thought but today he worked up the nerve to do such a rebellious thing. The dangers of the Forbidden Forest just seemed minor in comparison.

Fueled by the desire to see his aunt again, Harry had rummaged the library planning for that night until he had finally found a potion that made the drinker invisible.

Snape had used weeks of detention to scorn him. Once he had found the recipe, he welcomed it as he noticed the professor seemed easily angered whenever he was around.

He imagined he could use Snape's anger as a diversion to sneak some potions into the extendable bag, Aunt Malory and Uncle Lionel had conjured for his 11th birthday.

The moment he got his ingredients, he had worked on the potion day and night before it was finally complete. As it was a potion only taught to seventh years, Harry had indirectly got some assistance from Cedric.

Most of the instructions were fairly complex, it was lucky that Harry had asked about some of the word usage. Cedric had said the instructions become more complex the more complicated the potion and even fourth years had trouble distinguishing simple instructions.

'He was alot of help though.' Harry thought, as he had needed help specifically with understanding the differences in the subtleties.

Harry had began his journey early Saturday evening before the Sunday prior to Halloween after detention with Snape. The sun was just about to go down as he snuck through the corridors, past the entrance to the Forbidden Forest straight to Hagrid's home.

The invisibility potion wore off as he knocked on the door. He was faintly surprised to see Malory was the only person there.

"Harry, what are you doing down here so late?" Malory scolded. "I'd take you back to the castle but the headmaster won't allow it so late and Hagrid won't be back until morning. Tomorrow you're going to be in so much trouble, mister."

Harry came in. This was the first time, Harry had ever been inside Hagrid's house. There was a giant fireplace with a large dog laying by the fire.

The next morning Harry awoke to the sound of birds chirping. It seemed Malory had already left Hagrid's hut. Faintly he could hear someone murmuring outside a nearby window.

Quietly sneaking near the window to make out the voices, Harry could make out two familiar voices. Eyes peering over the window, Harry could see Hagrid talking with Professor Quirrell.

Harry went outside.

"Professor, what are you doing out here?" Harry inquired curiously.

The two men were startled at the boy's presence.

"What were you doing alone outside after curfew, Mr Potter?" Quirrell asked, with what Harry thought was genuine worry.

"Oh, I just went to visit Aunt Malory."

"Say Quirrell, 'you still need to retrieve a troll in order to practise defence next class? There is a troll habitat near a mountain in the middle of the forest."

"Maybe another time." Quirrell replied turning on his heel in the direction of the forest.

Hagrid turned towards Harry, black beetle eyes staring at him with worry. " Arry, you shouldn't make people worry about you like that. Professor McGonagall dropped by and says she wants to see you before you head to class."

Harry was amazed the man hadn't said anything that sooner. Maybe he wanted him to catch up on beauty sleep.

HPSS

Most of Harry's professors greeted him in the main hall.

"Oh there you are." Professor McGonagall took a breath of relief.

Harry was surprised to see Professors Sprout, Flitwick, McGonagall looking so worried about him. Much to Harry's shock he even saw Professor Snape among them.

Professor McGonagall's worry though was quickly overshadowed by stern strictness.

"Mr Potter, it is prohibited to leave Gryffindor Tower after curfew. So why did you think such an action was a good idea."

"That's just it, Minerva. Potter never thinks." Snape said, causing McGonagall to turn and scowl his direction. "I believe detention with me for another month might whip him into shape."

"Severus..."

Harry scowled. He knew he did wrong but to have Snape revel at his wrongs didn't amuse him in the slightest. Still his head of house did have a point.

"Alright." Harry said grudgingly.

Professor McGonagall looked at him in shock.

"Well then I guess this settles it."

Not much was settled with the endless howlers he had received from Aunt Malory the entire week it was lucky he even had the voice to look forward to.

Early Halloween, Harry and Ron walked into the Great Hall to have lunch like they usually did seeing Hermione on the corner of their eye.

Her hair was disheveled, her eyes had dark bags drooping beneath them. To sum it up she looked like a complete mess.

"What's wrong with her?" Ron asked curiously.

Suddenly she collapsed on the floor.

"Hermione." They called to her before she fell unconscious.

At the same time, Professor Snape and McGonagall immediately ran to their table.

Snape waved his wand over her body.

"It seems she's ingested too much of the potion."

McGonagall seemed to know immediately what he was talking about.

"What's he talking about, Professor?" Ron asked curiously.

"Ms Granger it seems desired the effect of the memory-retaining potion kept in Professor Snape's stores.

Professor McGonagall's revelation seemed to irk the two boys for different reasons. Harry just didn't see what was so important about Hermione Granger being so smart. It was irritating how she used her intelligence to kiss up to her professors. The worst part about it, under normal circumstances he could bury it in his mind as insignificant. In fact he was certain if this happened under normal circumstances he wouldn't have thought about it, as in hindsight he really deemed it as something he could care less about as just thinking about it angered him.

Ron on the other hand was irked from different reasons. That girl had to act as if everything her classmates did was so insignificant, as if her intelligence put them above the rest. The image reminded him about his older siblings. Each and every one of his siblings had something significant about them, except him. His mother had showered praise on the one thing they were good at. He remembered it was one thing that had generally irked him about his mother. Was he so insignificant that his mother had to abandon him because there was nothing distinguishing him from the rest of his family?

In the back of his mind he admitted he was jealous but he had a right to be. There were students everyday who craved the attention and respect of their professors but it seemed they were overshadowed by the skill and intelligence of those who were brighter and smarter. He was certain the dumbest students could be potentially smart too. It just didn't seem right to pass it off as something so skindeep.

HPSS

During the first week of November it would be his first detention for the second month. Harry didn't look forward to it, instead begrudgingly wondering when his death sentence would be.

Like usual he was told to scrub cauldrons but something had been nagging at him since the beginning of the feast.

"Professor?"

Despite the dangerous vibes emitting out of the man, Harry used this time to ask something that was bugging him. A surge of confidence that would have been beneficial if Harry had enough good sense to begin with.

Harry imagined if Snape were a bad guy he'd have the benefit of having most if not all professors be his witness.

"I was just wondering why did my scar hurt when I looked at you at the beginning of the feast?" Harry asked.

Snape looked at Harry with something akin to fury.

"I love how you assume I'm the direct cause of your insufferable pain. I must look the type too. Dark, brooding, sarcastic and ugly, I have it all don't I?" Snape prattled on smugly. "Pity, that body of yours is all brawn and no brain."

He said this while looking Harry over. The scrutiny was akin to that of a man checking on a woman without the romance involved.

Harry thought the man was almost trying to make him uncomfortable but he wasn't deterred.

"Don't try to act so smug, there's not exactly any proof that proves you aren't some dark wizard rising up from the depths of hell."

Snape's face contorted in impatient fury.

"Yes, because if I looked just a tad more friendly like their was no evil in me, then you'd totally trust me."

Harry's face flushed.

The fact his points were justified only caused the man's words to spear his pride. So what if he had thought the man was a dark wizard based on his looks alone. The man was really pissing him off.

"I take it such cruel words happened to mar your pride, yes? The part of you that is just brawn probably takes quite an offence to that." Snape said smugly.

The man knew that every word he breathed was insulting, that was apparent otherwise he wouldn't have said what he had.

Did Snape really think his insults had penetrated him so thoroughly? What did he mean when he mentioned the brawn side of him? No one with an ounce of intelligence could have possibly took for nothing other than an insult. Brawn was what Dudley and Aunt Malory had referred to as physical strength, the makeup of the male gender. Why would he imply that Harry had a big proportion of it?

Aunt Marge when she was angry with Vernon often talked with Petunia always comparing her brains with her nephews brawn.

"I'll never understand how that man managed to get a job with all that brawn and no brains."

It was a statement Aunt Malory had used also referring to Uncle Lionel. For one time she had come close to offending the man.

Uncle Lionel had been repairing some damages to the outer layers of his house which had collapsed.

"The stone should go here." Malory said referring to the gaps near the bottom of the wall while Lionel had been repairing the top of the wall.

"If you don't repair the bottom of the wall, it will collapse."

However the stubborn man had continued causing the wall to collapse.

"All you think about is repairing that damn wall." Malory said irritably.

The man had been at it for months, every time he tried to repair it the wall had collapsed days, weeks at the latest.

Eventually he had just about enough of Aunt Malory taking out all his anger on her by the end of the second month.

"Well, if you had any brains in that noggin of yours, you would have listened to me."

At the time the only thought crossing Harry's mind was why the heck didn't the man realize that repairing a wall from the top was the dumbest idea in the book. Anyone with half a mind would have known to start from the bottom.

Perhaps he might have been reading Snape wrong. Snape clearly thought Harry was a young boy who used none of the brains he had offered. The man was probably used to so many people judging his character by first glance that he wasn't eager to prove them wrong and maybe Harry thought, maybe that's the point Snape was trying to make by insulting him with an otherwise blatant message about his lack of thorough thought.

The man had been telling Harry about looks, maybe Snape was telling Harry cryptically not to trust a wizard based on their looks alone.

'That would be too competent.' Harry thought.

Still Harry kept the cryptic lesson in his mind, determined to pay more attention to what the professor said and not the stabs at his pride.

HPSS

By the time Hermione woke up it had been a couple of weeks.

Ron the more chattier of the two had asked Harry to accompany him to visit Hermione. Harry however particularly detested visiting the know-it-all until Ron had come clean about some info about Hermione that he had acquired from Parvati.

Apparently the girl had no friends.

She had woke up on Saturday and unfortunately they weren't her only company.

Professor Snape was also there, scowling at her.

"Professor?" She inquired with confusion.

He snapped.

"You foolish girl." He snarled.

Hermione flinched visibly.

"What made you possibly think you'd be unharmed after taking big doses of that potion?"

"Uh, I-I."

"Needed an excuse to show off in class?"

Hermione turned red.

"Well, it's lucky I happened to brew the antidote on the same day or your brain would have burst from too much knowledge."

Snape scrutinised her further. Harry noticed his eyes were focused directly on her own.

Was he reading her mind?

"I see with that simple minded brain of yours you think intelligence is so easy to come by. That if knowledge was at your grasp you could do great things? If you must know not everything is so easily solved by knowledge or intelligence." Snape said.

Harry's eyes widened at Snape's words. Earlier Snape had been insulting him for his lack of brains and now he scolded Hermione for the opposite? Was that Snape's cryptic way of teaching her? Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have been able to see it that way at all.

After Hermione had attended a day of classes upon her recovery, Ron and Harry had walked with her to Professor McGonagall's office. Ron didn't easily forgive the stabs to his pride and at that point had sought to be just as smart as Hermione though at that point, there was an unspoken friendship between the three as they approached the stern professor promoting guilt with her gaze.

Harry gazed at the newspaper on her desk, eyes catching the headline concerning Nicholas Flamel and the Philosopher's stone. Apparently there had been an attempt of stealing the philosopher's stone from Gringotts several months ago and because of that the stone was now being held at Hogwarts.

Unnoticed by Harry, Hermione seemed to be absorbing the same information at the exact same time.

"Ms Granger, are you paying attention?"

Harry looked to his side to see Hermione off in her own little world for a brief moment before her eyes looked directly into her professors.

His eyes didn't stop there however and as he stared behind the desk he saw two triangular grey ears peering from behind her desk.

Not wanting to be rude he waited until Professor McGonagall finished lecturing Hermione.

"Um, Professor. What's that behind your desk?" Harry asked.

Professor McGonagall directed her attention to the creature behind her desk and using both hands she grabbed it and set it on the desk.

The creature was none other than a grey cat.

"Her name's Frisky."

McGonagall pet the creature stroking behind it's ears.

"Well what are you doing standing there? You want to pet her too don't you?" She praddled on with encouragement.

Nothing more needed to be said as Harry,Ron and Hermione began petting the cat. It's attention however seemed to be on something else.

It began scratching on the upmost wooden drawer on the left side of her desk.

She opened the drawer and took out the glass jar with Ron's rat and set it on the table.

"Ah that's my rat." Ron pointed out.

"I have yet to mail it back to your parents." McGonagall said.

"How long have you had him for Ron."

"11 years." Ron said.

"Don't rats usually have shorter life spans?" Hermione asked McGonagall curiously.

"From gazing closely at it the rat doesn't seem to be any magical creature of any sort. It's just your average rat?"

"Then how did it live so long?"

"Many creatures of this size could live for long periods of time. I've yet to see an average looking rat live longer than 4 years." McGonagall said. "It's either a rat with an abnormal life span or it could possibly be an animagus."

"An animagus? What's that?" Both Harry and Hermione inquired with curiosity.

"It's a piece of transfiguration that could causes one to change shape into an animal form." McGonagall explained.

"I imagine it must be very difficult to learn." Hermione pointed out.

"Very."

"Surely if you learned it though why not stay in your animagus form all the time."

"It's dangerous. For those who don't know the counterspell, one has to survive any potential predators and hunt for potential prey."

"So it's possible for animagus to remain in their animal forms and thrive independently for say 11 years?" Hermione asked.

"Theoretically."

"I'm curious why don't you try the counterspell on Ron's rat. It could be a witch or a wizard stuck in their animagus form."

Ron winced. "Please don't hurt him."

The rat began to move around squeaking anxiously in the jar.

McGonagall finally opened it and pointed her wand at the rat casting the counterspell just as it leapt from the jar. A shabby man suddenly landed on his feet in front of Professor McGonagall's desk.

"Pettigrew?" McGonagall inquired with disbelief.

The shabby man had the nerve to look shocked and amazed under the stern woman's scrutiny.

"You know this man, Professor?" Hermione asked.

"Harry, this man is one of your father's friends." McGonagall said.

"Oh? He wouldn't have happened to hand them the beer, that caused them to drive straight into a car accident would he?"

McGonagall snorted.

"Mr Pettigrew, aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Look can we talk about this later. I have somewhere I have to be." Peter said but not before he said his final goodbyes. "Nice to see you again, Harry."

He left out the front door of her office shapeshifting back into Ron's pet rat.

When McGonagall had recovered from her shock, Harry saw her confusion hadn't faded in the slightest.

"What's the matter?"

"Peter Pettigrew died 11 years ago. Sirius Black was put in prison after killing him and all those muggles. There's no way he could still be alive."

"Sirius Black?"

"He's another one of your father's friends. He was sent to Azkaban after killing twelve muggles."

"Azkaban?"

"The Wizarding Prison."

"I didn't know wizards had a justice system." Harry said.

"Er...well.."

"Then I imagine he got the justice he deserved?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"I think now would be as good of a time as ever to tell Dumbledore that Pettigrew is still alive so if you'll excuse me."

Harry and Hermione both left her classroom on that note. It was worth noting however that no matter what she had told Dumbledore about Pettigrew, there was no doubt that the headmaster was in no position to pardon Sirius Black as there was no evidence of him proving that he had not killed those twelve muggles.

HPSS

After all that drama the trio quickly became fast friends.

All three would take the time to discuss classes, teachers and family. Ron had come clean about her little sister having a crush on him as well.

"Mum used to tell Ginny about how you defeat Voldemort. She always admired you and looked up to you as a hero." Ron said. "Now not so much. I think it has to do with that article about you in the Daily Prophet a couple of months ago."

The only time Harry had seen the Daily Prophet was before he boarded the train.

"What did it say about me?" Harry asked curiously.

"Nothing much, it just said how you extorted your fame to get people to like you."

Harry sighed and eventually came clean about his opinion of Snape.

Hermione's ears were peaked with attention while Ron seemed more concerned about the flies he was shooting in the air with his wand.

"You'd be amazed with how much I've learned from him despite the fact I detest him." Harry said modestly.

At one point he brought up a detention that he had attended to while she was in the hospital wing.

"For the life of me, I don't exactly see what he's talking about. What did he mean when he said that. It's like he was trying to me that looks could be deceiving?"

Harry also told her of how he had originally thought he had felt pain after looking at Professor Snape.

"He was sitting by Professor Quirrell that day wasn't he?" She asked with something akin to excitement.

"I think so." Harry said, so lost in his wonder that he was oblivious to the two pieces of the puzzle coming together in Hermione's mind.

Every day since that had happened, Harry and Ron always saw her wrapped in some book. Perhaps Snape's words hadn't appealed to her as they had to him.

Harry had managed to exchanges letter frequently with his aunt and uncle after being assigned another monthly detention.

One of her letters had been a howler in which Malory gave Harry a complete lecture of heading head first into danger. The letter afterwards, Malory had told Harry about her granddaughter coming over to visit Harry and her nephew as well.

Over this period of time, slowly Harry began to warm up to the potions professor.

HPSS

With revelations of her first impression of the information from the Daily Prophet concerning Nicholas Flamel coupled with Harry's pain in his scar upon looking at Snape immediately she had thought Snape might have stolen the Philosopher's Stone.

Something though had nagged on the corner of Hermione's brain particularly about Harry feeling pain upon looking at Snape. She had also remembered Ron talking about the curse on the Defence Against the Dark Arts position.

After weeks and weeks of research, Hermione had found herself curious about Harry's pain. She was amazed however at discovering the reason for it so quickly.

The pain that was nagging at Harry was similar to that of pain caused by life force being pulled from the body. She had found it in the book of 'The Sleepless knight', a story about a knight being called to rescue a princess named Fate but on his rescue had been cursed to live forever and had to devour souls or he'd suffer in pain as his body eroded, and it wasn't until Fate had found him releasing his soul from his body with her magic that he could rest in peace.

Hermione wondered could Harry's soul be unstable and if so why wouldn't Snape be affected by such a curse if he was the cause of Harry's pain. His soul, she mustered could have been affected by the killing curse but would it cause a soul's instability?

If that was the case then Snape could not have possibly been related to his soul's instability.

There was only one person besides Snape who could have possibly been affected by a curse due to the cursed DADA position and he was sitting by Snape if she remembered correctly.

Hermione couldn't help but wonder whether the professor's would believe her. It sounded so ludicrous with her information coming from a fairy tale with the way Ron talked most wizards and witches thought they were only myths.

She had no choice, she had to get evidence.

'But I'm just a first year, there's no way I can use my magic to spy on Professor Quirrell. He'd discover me in an instant. Not to mention he could kill me.' Hermione thought but an idea hit her. 'Unless...unless I can study magic and become stronger.'

With this dedication she proceeded in cramming as much knowledge from her spellbooks as possible, looking for potential spells to use in defence, practising spells until she memorised them.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Visit from Emily

On Friday a week before December as Harry, Ron and Hermione had left to potion class, he crashed into someone.

The girl had bright blue eyes and long straight black hair that reached her shoulders. Her face turned red as she began to scrutinise Harry in admiration. Before the person on her right began to catch her attention.

She admired the way the older girl presented herself with her bushy brown hair and average looking clothes. She was ugly but the older girl didn't seem to be the least bit intimidated by those more beautiful then she looked in her clothing.

Now if only her father would quit forcing her into those aristocratic dresses so she could dress up like that older girl then things wouldn't be so bad.

"Do you go to school here?" Hermione asked.

"No."

"Who're you looking for?"

"You wouldn't happen to be Malory's granddaughter would you?" Harry asked in an educated guess.

"Yes, and I assume you are Harry Potter."

"Yes."

"It's very nice to meet you. My name's Emily Prince." She said collecting herself and dusting off her white frilly dress before shaking his extended hand in greeting. "I'm looking for Uncle Sev. Have you seen him?"

"Uncle Sev?" Ron inquired with disbelief.

"What do you mean Uncle Sev?" Harry asked.

"I believe she'd be talking about me." A deep intimidating voice crept from behind them.

Harry much to his perplexion remembered the voice with incredible familiarity as if it had been engrained in him after attending weeks of detention.

"Professor Snape." He greeted with indifference.

"Emily what have I told you about running in the halls?"

Emily struck her tongue at Professor Snape in mischief.

"Don't be rude."

"Professor, how do you know Emily? Are you related to Aunt Malory?" Harry asked.

Snape ignored him.

"I take it, your father's probably doing the family tradition in squandering the family fortune like usual." Snape addressed Emily. "He really needs to stop that gambling habit of his or it might backfire."

At Snape's taunts, the girl marched up to Snape and stomped harshly on his foot in anger before running away from the irksome man. The man seemed to offend the girl. Harry imagined despite her father's habits, Emily still loved her father and Snape knew just how to press her buttons.

Harry saw his face was flush, scrunched in pain. Hermione and Ron meanwhile ran after Emily.

"Potter, do I need to assign you another detention?" He asked irritably.

Harry shook his head.

"Then leave my sight."

"I will once you answer my question." Harry said. "How do you know Aunt Malory? Are the two of you related?"

Snape sighed with exasperation.

"Yes, thanks to my mother's insufferable family." Snape said. "I imagine though it must come as quite a surprise to be residing in the home of your enemy's relatives. It's quite a pity for you that you only stay there as long as I allow it under my duties as your guardian."

Harry looked both amazed and scornful.

"Guardian?" He scoffed. "You certainly weren't taking care of me for these five years. By the looks of it. What are you going to do force me to stay at your place now instead?"

Snape's face contorted into something both ugly and vicious.

"Why not? It fills me with glee to see you suffer."

"What makes you think your presence radiates such power? You flatter yourself." Harry scoffed. "Take me to your home, your presence isn't any more torture than Malory's."

The professor flushed.

"What are you implying equivocating me with that witch?"

"I'm merely saying your presence isn't as intimidating as you would have everyone believe. I bet deep down you're this cute little teddy bear yearning for a big hug." Harry cooed.

Snape slowly stepped back, retreating from the boy being thoroughly creeped out by his behavior.

HPSS

Eventually Ron and Hermione had caught up with Emily.

"What's the matter?" Ron asked, kneeling with an attempt at consoling the girl.

The girl however only grew angry at the boy, sticking her tongue at him.

"That isn't very nice." Hermione pointed out.

Emily sobered as if she had been caught with her hands in a cookie jar.

Hermione's expression however didn't change.

Emily grew irritated with her. According to her father, mudbloods were simple minded creatures so why didn't she just forgive her?

"I'm not going to apologise. I don't like him." She pouted.

Ron took this time to scoot closer as if to get a better look at her expression.

"Aw, how cute." He cooed, reaching out to grab her cheeks.

"Hey, stay away from me. You're creeping me out." Emily uttered in surprise once she realised Ron was in such close proximity to her.

Hermione noted the girl's cheeks were a deep red as if the gesture had embarrassed the girl.

"Then maybe you should apologise to him." Hermione offered.

Emily looked at the ground, she appeared to be sulking.

"Sorry." She forcibly spat at Ron.

Hermione was satisfied at that.

"Never thought a mudblood would have such high standards."

"Of course she had standards. She's clearly a human being is she not?" Ron inquired impatiently.

Emily scoffed.

"Whatever." She muttered walking between them.

When she had long gone, Ron turned towards Hermione.

"You know she practically insulted you, right?"

Hermione looked at Ron with confusion.

"She called you a mudblood. It's what witches and wizards call those who are born from muggles. Most wizards and witches are purebloods you see."

"Why should it insult me? It's just a word."

"We better head back. Harry's waiting for us." Ron said.

She followed him all the way back to Snape's office.

Snape wasn't too pleased at their presence.

"Is trouble contagious I thought I told you to get out?"

"You probably told that to Harry." Hermione replied.

Snape's scowl deepened.

"You spoil her." She said pointing out the way Snape had treated Emily.

"What?" Snape snarled.

Hermione however was undeterred by his behavior.

"Your niece." She explained. "She doesn't know any manners and is very disrespectful."

"I wasn't under the impression that you were in any place to tell me how to treat my niece."

Hermione chuckled sheepishly.

"Get out. All three of you."

Harry, Ron and Hermione fled Snape's office.

HPSS

As it was drawing near the holidays and there was only last minute exams to study for, Harry and Ron had a lot of spare time which would have normally been used to start on their homework.

On Saturday, Ron had took out his wizarding chess set eager to teach Harry about the complex game.

One of the first moves he made was setting his pawn two spaces forward.

"You can do that?"

"It's an opening move, pawns can make."

Harry recalled seeing someone play a similar game before where both pawn met in the centre of the board and proceeded to move his pawn in a similar position.

Ron moved his knight on the right side of the board in an L shaped pattern, skipping over his pawn.

Harry moved the pawn on the right side of the empty space next to his other pawn.

Ron then proceeded to move his bishop in a diagonal pattern so it stood in front of one of his pawns.

"I wonder if Snape plays?" Harry asked using his pawn to capture Ron's pawn. Of all things he didn't know about the game, he knew of he could capture pawns by moving a pawn diagonally.

"Probably does." Ron mumbled in reply.

"I'd like to challenge him some time. Maybe I could cut that ego of his down to size." Harry said maliciously, moving his pieces with sudden passion.

Ron thought maybe Harry was struck with such an ambition to accomplish such a feat. He imagined if the professor did play, he probably was loads better than even he was.

"Say Harry, what are you doing over the holidays?"

"Staying at Snape's place."

"What?" Ron inquired with shock. "Do you have a death wish? That man will murder you."

"My aunt didn't seem to think so. Besides from talking with that man, I think it's safe to assume the man is as cuddly as a teddy bear." Harry replied with amusement.

"Really?"

From the looks of it, Ron was shocked.

"You don't think Snape would allow me to come over to your place for the holidays would he?" He asked cautiously.

Harry thought his friend might have said that out of worry for him.

"I'll ask."

"I think I'll write a letter to my parents asking if that's alright."

Both grinned, even after Harry had lost at a match of wizarding chess.

As they walked to the Owlery, Harry suddenly was hit with a thought. He looked down at the chess set he had brought with him by mistake.

"Hey Ron, you think Professor Snape wouldn't mind me dropping by his office for a game of Chess would he?"

"I don't see why not." Ron grinned mischievously. That chess game between the two friends seemed to give him faith that he wasn't sending his friend straight to his own demise.

Harry grinned at the thought before heading to Snape's dungeons, knocking deligently on the door of his office.

"Who's bugging me at this insufferable hour?" Snape snarled from within his office.

Something about that amused Harry.

Snape finally greeted him at the door.

"Potter, you obnoxious fool what are you doing outside the door of my office?"

"Do you play chess?"

The question seemed to catch Snape off-guard.

"Of course I play chess you dolt." He said as if Harry were stupid.

Then he looked up at the boy, scrutinising him strangely.

"Potter, do you have a fever?"

Harry tried hard not to be offended by that statement.

"Just what is that supposed to mean?"

"You never willingly parade outside my office."

"Can't I play a simple game of chess without having any ulterior motives?"

"Is that a trick question?" Snape inquired with straight amusement.

"Look I want to play chess."

"Fine, but if you try anything Potter you'll be sorry."

Snape opened the door wide enough to let Harry inside his office.

Harry glanced around his quarters, there was a fireplace against the wall towards the back of the room with the Prince Coat of Arms hung above it, two suits of armour stood by the fireplace cast in the shadows.

The photo on the fireplace though was first to catch Harry's eye. It was a still picture of a woman with red hair and green eyes just like his.

"Professor, what's this?" Harry asked, pointing at the picture in the frame.

Snape got closer gazing at what Harry had been looking at before swiping the photo which he clutched close to his chest.

"Don't be snooping around my things, Potter."

"Who's that woman in the picture, professor?"

He looked at Harry with incredulity as if the boy should know.

"That's my mother isn't it? Malory told me you went to school with her." Harry asked. "You know about my mother and my father, don't you?"

He saw Snape's expression didn't change in the slightest, which in normal circumstances wouldn't have given him away but Harry knew better.

"That face, you make it when you're trying to hide something." Harry said. "Look I don't care if you have a sick fancy with my mother, I just want to know what you know about my father. Who were his friends? They did go to school here and I know that much."

Snape's face contorted into an ugly scowl.

It didn't seem the professor was going to answer his question.

"I don't know very much about my father. The only person I've seen that claims to know my father is Peter Pettigrew but he transformed into a rat and scurried away."

"That man Potter, couldn't have possibly been Peter Pettigrew. Peter Pettigrew is dead."

Harry ignored him.

"So how does one learn how to transform like that?"

"With time and effort."

"That's what Professor McGonagall said. How could I do that? Is it possible to learn the ability to transform into another animal?"

"Why would you want to learn such a thing?" Snape asked with distaste.

"I don't know maybe it might come in handy someday."

"Potter, if this is an excuse just so you can get yourself in detention..."

"Look Professor, I'm not looking for trouble."

Snape grunted.

"I'm not." Harry insisted.

Snape's eyes glistened.

"Look let's just get with the game, boy."

His response it seemed humbled the boy as Harry set up the chessboard with Ron's chess pieces.

The game it seemed had such a relaxing toll on the professor that the two continued it even after his classes.

HPSS

Just a week before the holidays after class with Professor Quirrell, Harry, Ron and Hermione had left to the Gryffindor Common Room for the evening when Hermione was hit with a thought.

Professor Quirrell would be in his rooms for a while before dinner. Faintly Hermione saw Harry walking on ahead and was suddenly brought to attention when Ron waved his hand over Hermione's eyes.

"Earth to Hermione."

"Oh, sorry I was lost in my thoughts for a second there." Hermione said shyly. "I think I forgot something in Professor Quirrell's classroom."

"Then I'll come with you." Ron insisted.

Hermione didn't really want him or Harry to accompany her but kept her thoughts to herself.

As they headed closer to the door of Professor Quirrell's classroom, both of them could hear two people arguing in the classroom.

"That's the lamest excuse you've uttered, Quirrell." A cold voice muttered.

"I forgot the boy was staying with your servant's relatives. If I had known, I would have made arrangements."

"What's stopping you this time?"

"If I had taken the troll the boy might have suspected something."

"I don't want to hear your excuses."

Both Ron and Hermione had stopped at the door paralysed from the words that had been uttered between the two people.

"Hermione, aren't you going to get your things?"

Hermione brought her index finger to her lips.

"Shhhh."

Ron complied.

"I actually was thinking of asking him something."

"Quirrell, did you hear that someone's spying on us." The cold voice snarled.

Suddenly Ron and Hermione could hear feet treading quickly to the door.

"Run." She whispered and the two began to run down the hall.

Then she heard Ron trip behind her his body thudding to the floor but Hermione who was laced with both adrenaline and fear continued for her own sake.

Finally she had made it in front of a hall of students when Quirrell had appeared approximately 10 minutes later. He had cast a tripping spell on her before she could try to get away.

Inwardly she sighed in relief as there were still students in the halls leaving a lot of witnesses in case the professor tried anything funny.

"M-Ms Granger, i-is there a r-reason y-you were p-parading outside m-my office?"

"I needed to ask you a question about our lesson." Hermione said, proceeding to explain the parts she had trouble with.

"I-I see. Y-You are aware t-that is why y-you ask q-questions during c-class time, y-yes?" Quirrell asked. "I-I'm afraid y-you'll h-have to serve d-detention w-with me n-next F-Friday."

Hermione frowned, inwardly worried.

Ron walked up behind the professor to meet up with Hermione.

"Oh there you are, Hermione."

His presence made her inwardly relieved.

It wasn't until Thursday evening, that Emily had stopped her walking straight from Defence Class.

"Uh...um." Emily stammered shyly. "I was wondering whether you'd like to stop by my house for Christmas."

Hermione looked up with surprise staring at Emily's eyes searching for genuine intent.

Emily looked down in embarrassment.

"Just forget it." She said running away.

Over a period of weeks when Hermione wasn't in classes, she'd stop by to play with Emily who had been quite lonely staying at Hogwarts with no one she knew other than her spiteful uncle. During this time, Hermione had noted that the girl had quickly warmed up to her much to her amazement.

There in the corner of her mind was a sense of anxiety though she knew Emily would usually stay in the girl's bathroom during her fits, wasting time by talking with Moaning Myrtle.

HPSS

The next morning, Ron and Harry had asked Hermione about her plans for the holidays.

"I was originally planning on going with my mother on a ski-trip with her fiancé." She said anxiously. "Emily though wants me to come over her house for the holidays though. I didn't know exactly how to tell her. She's probably run off to the girl's bathroom again."

"Is the skii-trip really that important?" Ron asked.

"My parents are divorced." Hermione explained. "Since mum is so busy with her job I could only see her on Christmas."

The anxiety in Hermione's tone, silenced Ron. It seemed he could relate on her at the level.

Truthfully Ron had remembered times his father had been away at the Ministry completing some important work over the holiday.

"Maybe she should try and talk to her and get her to understand." Ron said.

It seemed this statement had fueled Hermione's courage to come clean about the detention she had received from Professor Quirrell.

"Hear me out." Hermione said. "I think Professor Quirrell may be planning on releasing a troll on the school tonight."

"What?"

"Ron and I overheard a conversation with Professor Quirrell."

"Why would Professor Quirrell want to do that?"

"You don't know, there was an article in the Daily Prophet about the Philosopher's Stone being held at Hogwarts. It's simple to deduce that Professor Quirrell is after the Philosopher's Stone you said he visited your aunt. Why would he go there for a troll?" She prattled on as if Harry was an insignificant insect. Did she really think that was the answer?

It didn't explain why Quirrell wanted the Philosopher's Stone at all. Only one motivation could have made Quirrell want to scour the school for it. From the looks of it, Harry thought it could have been that the man had an enemy who wouldn't stop until he was dead. It was clear there was fear involved in some way if the man always stuttered during their lessons however Harry thought that to be too obvious. Other than that there was no reason off the top of his head as to why he would want the Philosopher's Stone.

Hermione continued to prattle on uninterrupted.

"The way they talked it sounded as if it was something he had planned for sometime, you got to tell a teacher."

Breakfast was nearing it's end and much to her horror all of the professors had already left for their classes.

Hermione shuddered as today was potions with Snape. There's no way Snape would take her information seriously.

"Look just forget it." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "I should be fine."

Hermione's expression had contorted from frantic worry to fake calm as Ron could see clearly that something was bothering her.

Harry nodded at her proclamation not noticing anything strange in her reaction to it.

After class Harry stayed after, eager to enjoy another chess match with Severus Snape.

Throughout the game though he couldn't help but wonder why Professor Quirrell would want to set a troll on this school.

"Professor." He said. "What do you know about Professor Quirrell?"

Something about Hermione's statement appeared to appeal to him. Snape however was staring at him indifferently until Harry looked up after setting the pieces on the chess board.

"He's the Defence professor." Snape replied curtly. Harry noticed something seemed to change in his voice.

"You know something else don't you?"

Snape looked at him stubbornly silent, a glare piercing straight at the boy."

"It has to do with the Philosopher's stone doesn't it?" Harry asked. "What could Professor Quirrell possibly want with the Philosopher's stone?"

"How do you know about that?" Snape inquired with a hint of surprise.

"Hermione recalled reading an article in the Daily Prophet about it."

"You are aware that the Daily Prophet isn't a reliable source of information, are you not?"

Harry flushed.

"Hey, Hermione's the one who found the article not me. Besides I have a feeling that the Daily Prophet might be a little accurate this time, so spill your guts."

"I have rights to refrain from answering." Snape said defiantly.

"So I take it you know that Professor Quirrell will try to set up a troll in order to attack the school tonight." Harry asked.

"It's my duty to keep an eye on him. What kind of person would I be if I didn't know his plans?" Snape snarled, insulted at the gall of the boy's condescending attitude.

"You are aware that you could get hurt if you happen to come across that troll don't you?" Harry asked.

The question it seemed put Snape a little off-centre. If he wasn't mistaken...

'Was that concern? No, it couldn't be. That boy has no reason to be concerned after all I've done to him.'

Snape's face remained indifferent at the slight suspicion.

"I am aware." He replied coolly to Harry's question.

"Then you better not get yourself killed."

Snape's eyebrows rose to his hairline. 'So it was genuine concern.'

"That's the least of your worries. Besides his ability in consulting trolls he's a highly skilled wizard, I'd be more worried of dying from his spells than some dumb troll. He's an accomplished duelist, using any means to win his battles even using memory charms from time to time."

Harry's eyes widened.

"I wouldn't let it worry you. I am quite an accomplished duelist myself." Snape said.

The uneasy worry didn't seem to vanish from Harry's eyes however and if anything the boy's concern seemed to increase.

"Don't let it bother you, that should be the least of your worries. I'd worry more about yourself at the minute." He said with an evil grin as he moved his queen so Harry's King was put in checkmate.

8/22/13: The daily update for this story probably won't be posted for a couple of days due to massive editing.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Betrayals

As a special event the day before the holiday, the Great Hall was flooded with decorations for the Christmas festivities.

For dinner, there was a huge roasted turkey with small slices served with a side of corn, mashed potatoes and cauliflower covered in melted cheese.

Harry had a big chunk of it on his plate liking the smell of the food but feeling a little bit anxious just as Professor Quirrell came running in.

The man looked disheveled, his eyes wide in horror as if the very thing he had seen had frightened him as he told Dumbledore about a troll at the school as if to make sure that everyone heard it.

If everyone had heard it the only thing it could accomplish was a massive panic. Why would Quirrell go through such trouble, if what Snape had said that Dumbledore had already known about it?

'Wait, is that what I really want to ask? Who in their right mind would allow a teacher like that at this school?'

Unfortunately Harry didn't have the answer in his grasp at the moment and shoved this thought in the back of his mind to consider later instead thinking about the other question at hand.

'If I wanted to get the philosopher's stone the only reason I would do such a thing...' Harry thought. 'Wait, he's intentionally trying to stir a panic to provide distraction enough to obtain the philosopher's stone from the school.'

A loud commotion coming from the headmaster's wand had silenced the uproar as he told the prefects to lead the students to their dormitories immediately.

Harry had barely heard it as he stared at the head table where Snape had sprung onto his feet, eye filled with intent. It looked like he was going to confront Professor Quirrell.

He shook his head at the worry that began to flood his mind at the thought of the man confronting such a powerful wizard. Deep down he knew Snape was a powerful wizard but there was a doubt in his mind what if Snape was killed by the troll. What about his niece-?

'She doesn't know about the troll.' Harry thought with realisation. 'She's-"

He quickly ran out of the great hall among the crowd of students who hadn't noticed him leaving, heading towards the girl's bathroom.

On the corner of his eye he saw Snape heading towards the third floor giving Harry further anxiety, adrenaline at this point surging through his veins.

He turned at the most horrid smell, startled at the appearance of a 12 foot troll with a long wooden club in it's hands.

Quickly Harry turned on his heel, following his first instinct of running to the girl's bathroom eager to get Emily out of there before the troll could reach her.

Suddenly he heard the sound of the troll swinging his club, his head ducking in instinct at what he thought to be an incoming blow.

The club had hit the foundation of the school causing massive tremors to stir beneath Harry's feet. Rocks from the ceiling began to tumble to the ground due to the tremors.

Suddenly a force knocked the breath out of Harry as something had forcibly pushed him forward.

Panic stunned Harry as he began to feel a sharp pain on his side. There was also a stabbing headache and impending dizziness at the thought of his blood pouring out of his wound and looking at the red viscous fluid if he had checked the wound for blood.

'It could be a fatal wound.' He thought. 'I have to be sure.'

Harry felt the wound, his finger were beginning to be caked with something sticky. Harry brought his red fingers to his face.

'This could be bad.'

More impending tremors seemed to shake the ground and Harry saw that the troll was heading in Snape's direction.

He winced, there was no time to be worrying about his pain when Snape could still be in danger.

Harry shrugged the massive weight of the wreckage that had weighed him down as he lifted himself off the ground looking briefly at the jagged rock on the ground covered with his blood.

To stiffle the pain, he grabbed his side limping and running to the girl's bathroom.

Inside Emily looked indifferent to everything that was happened as she was talking with Myrtle.

"You have to head back to the dungeons." Harry said, wincing at the pain in his side.

"What happened to you?" Emily asked. "That wound looks very serious."

"Now's not the time. You got to get out of here before the troll comes back."

"A troll? How could someone possibly sneak something like that into Hogwarts?"

"Just go."

Emily collected her feet.

"Myrtle, sorry I have to go." She addressed the ghost residing in the girl's bathroom.

Harry looked up seeing her for the first time.

"This is the first time, a boy has thought to drop by and visit. What's your name?" Myrtle asked.

He was briefly startled by the ghost's presence.

"Look Myrtle or whoever you are can you make sure Emily get to the dungeons safely?"

"Oh all right but you have to tell me your name after this is over it."

HPSS

Some time before these events had started happening, Ron walked Hermione to detention at around the same time Harry was having dinner.

"Thank you for joining me like this, Ron." Hermione said with relief.

"It's not a problem. Something about this is making me uneasy, it would feel uncomfortable if I let you go alone."

Eventually the two made it outside Quirrell's classroom.

Hermione hesitated before knocking on the door.

There was silence.

"Professor?" She was puzzled at the lack of response.

"Is he even here?" Ron asked.

In the distance they heard screams, murmurs and loud commotion some distance away.

"I don't like this." Hermione said with unease.

"Ms Granger, I see you've made it. Pleased to see your company." Quirrell said, the stutter not present at all, building up the unease she had felt in the first place.

"You're after the Philosopher's stone aren't you?" Hermione asked, intending on confronting the professor.

Quirrell's face contorted into a scowl.

"You're sharper than you seem."

Suddenly the professor fired a wandless spell in Hermione's direction which Hermione had side stepped.

"Confundo."

Quirrell conjured a shield quickly in order to block the stray curse and he flung his wand causing a rope to spew out of it.

Hermione cast a severing charm in the nick of time.

"I'm impressed with the amount of second year spells you've learned. Been cramming the information from your spellbooks?"

Ron stepped forward.

"Let me handle this, Ron." She insisted pushing him back.

"Expulso."

The ceiling began to collapse and Quirrell had just barely side-stepped the rocks.

"Clever, wouldn't mind trying something like that myself." He taunted, doing the same thing to the ceiling above her.

Then just as quickly he cast an inpediment curse, as Hermione was distracted with side stepping all the rocks.

Hermione just barely managed to dodge the spells while avoiding the rocks.

"You're quite powerful and turning out to be quite a challenge but you must know that your skill and knowledge won't always help you." He said and suddenly Ron walked past Hermione standing in front of Quirrell.

"Now I wonder would you dare hurt your friend in means of the greater good?" He asked, pointing his wand at Ron's jugular.

"What did you do to him?" She asked.

"He's a victim of the imperius curse in case it escaped your notice."

"The imperius curse?" Hermione didn't think a professor would dare use it, it was an unforgivable curse, it was illegal according to the Ministry. Surely she was residing in a world where the Ministry was able to track and imprison those who used illegal spells.

"You sound surprised that I've used such an illegal spell as if you believe the Ministry had means of tracing it's use. You are naive. I could use it and not even Dumbledore would be able to stop me." Quirrell said. "Why I could kill him right now and not feel a thing."

Hermione found herself paralysed not having enough ill will to want Ron to die for her sake. Even if she had the ill-will she imagined she'd never want anyone to die for her sake.

"Use the impediment curse, Mr Weasley."

Hermione was surprised when Ron looked up with cold misty blue eyes.

"Impedimenta."

Suddenly black filled her vision and she collapsed to the stone cold floor.

HPSS

After making his way over to a short cut on the third floor, he managed by the looks of it to make it to Snape before the troll had.

Upon his arrival, he saw Snape pointing his wand at the big atrocious three-headed dog-like beast who was growling at him quite ferociously. His arms were cupping his mangled leg which he had held close to his.

He turned towards Harry indifferently.

"Potter, what are you doing down here?"

"The troll is coming this way."

Snape's dark gaze dwelled on the blood coating the boy's fingers that gripped his side.

"Where did you get that wound?"

"Does it matter?"

"You need to get that treated."

"Not without you."

"Get out of here you fool."

Suddenly the troll burst through the door, causing both of them to fall backwards at the impact.

Harry jumped in surprise, the sheer fear of being surrounded by death made his legs shake, folding from beneath him.

"Idiot, now look what you've done."

"Me? Do you even know what you're getting yourself into Professor Quirrell is using this as a diversion to get to the philosopher's stone."

"You don't think I know that."

Quickly glancing around the room where he and Snape were boxed in, Harry saw something beneath the three-headed dog's feet and was hit with a realisation.

"The philosopher's stone. It's here isn't it? Right under that flea-bitten canine."

Snape said nothing. He didn't have to, his expression told Harry everything from the amount of disgust at Harry's high strung behavior to his anger at him trying to pull a hero act.

"I-I guess this is it. I guess we're done for." Harry said closing his eyes bracing himself for his future demise. He knew nothing would prepare him for the inevitable pain. Singing usually calmed him though so he began humming to himself the lullaby Malory would often sing to him every night.

Opening his eyes at the realisation that neither the canine nor the troll had attacked them, Harry saw he had somehow lured the canine to sleep. Turning around he saw the troll seemed perplexed by this.

"Potter, run." Snape cut through his thoughts grabbing the boy by his arm and pulling him towards the underground door beneath the sleeping three-headed dog.

He opened the door before throwing him into the deep depths of darkness.

Harry found the landing surprisingly soft as if he had landed on a bed of clouds. He winced as it lightly brushed against his wound. His eyes brightened at the sound of a light thump that followed soon afterwards.

"Snape?" He cried out. "Professor?"

The sound of a pained groan came from in back of him.

Harry frantically moved above the bed of clouds struggling to get to the potion professor to see if he was alright.

"I'm fine, Potter." The voice was closer than Harry expected it to be. "We have better things to worry about now then the extent of my injuries."

"Where are we, professor?"

Snape was quiet. Right at that moment a faint light brought depth to the scenery. It seemed they were trapped in a bundle of vines. The thought made Harry twitch causing the vines to squeeze him.

"Hold still, Potter."

"Lumos maxima."

Harry clearly saw the plant had wrapped them somehow in it's strangling vines. He was amazed the plant with the bright light had ceased it's movements at the sight of bright light.

"Come on, Potter. Help me up."

The boy struggled free from vines and crawled to the professor and his lit wand pulling him from the plant's vines.

"Let me lean on you, Potter." Snape asked wrapping his right arm around the boy's shoulders.

Snape looked back, there was no way back if the boy had indeed lied to him destroying the plants would be useless.

The two eventually opened the door at the end of the room nearly getting bombarded by malicious-looking flying keys.

Three broomsticks were lined against the wall much to Harry's bafflement.

"Broomsticks?"

Harry inquired incredulously before he tried to open the door in the room. It was locked.

"Yes Potter, what did you expect to see an exit?"

"What is all of this?" Harry asked, voice laced with suspicion. If Snape wasn't mistaken he thought he could also sense a trace of fear. Usually he'd revel in the knowledge that his nemesis was shaken with the current of events but there was no enjoyment in it as it would seem it was now his obligation to get the boy to safety.

Snape sighed in defeat.

"These are traps that Dumbledore had established to protect philosopher's stone if you're so curious." He explained.

"I suppose the key to the door is one of those keys flying around."

"Yes." Snape replied before sighing with exasperation. Looking up he glanced at Harry who was looking very leery about the brooms.

"I assume I'm expected to use the broom to try and catch the right key."

"Not at all. I was contemplating on doing it myself but if you're so eager, Potter." Snape said, his left arm leaning against the wall.

"Eager? I've only flown once on a broom."

"Go on."

Harry set off on one of the brooms to catch the key getting scratched up on his way to obtaining the correct key to the door, enduring the blinding pain at his side as he did so.

"How many more traps after this?" He asked wincing as he clutched his side.

"I'm just as clueless as you are, Potter. The headmaster has said he has informed most of the staff about the fact it's hidden here. He never did say who was contributing to the traps and there are over 20 staff members that teach at this school."

The next room was a room full of life sized chess pieces which Snape helped him get through and the room after that was a room full of potions and riddles in which Snape had also helped with as it was the room he had also contributed to.

As soon as the two stepped through the flames a red hex hit Harry from the back, knocking both his wand out of his hands.

Harry turned to see who hit him and was horrified and shocked by the presence of a smoking wand held at the end of Snape's hand.

Black eyes held no emotion.

"Professor...but why?" Harry stammered. Snape roughly brought him to his feet forcing him towards the mirror at the corner of the room.

"I need the stone. Find it Potter." He whispered menacingly in his ears.

The most confusing aspect of the mirror was the phrase at the top of the mirror: WiLLoL ot ELiseq. What exactly was Harry supposed to do? There was nothing in the mirror. What exactly was he supposed to see?

Suddenly a flash of red light headed towards the mirror shattering it into pieces.

Snape turned to glare at Professor Quirrell.

"Mr Potter, you mustn't give in to him. He's trying to trick you." Professor Quirrell's voice echoed through Harry's thoughts. He looked up it seemed the professor had come from a secret corridor on the right side away from all the dangerous traps.

"You? Why are you helping me, professor? You sent the troll, it hurts when you are anywhere near my scar. Every single action you have done was to obtain the Philosopher's stone and I want to know why? Why does Snape want the stone?"

Snape fired a green spell in his direction which Quirrell quickly deflected with a shield charm.

"Everything has a simple answer really. What you fail to realise is your very life has been lead by puppet strings to face this very moment? Professor Dumbledore assigned me to watch Professor Snape very closely in exchange for this very object. You see last year my mother has fallen ill to Dragon Pox but that was indirectly caused by her genetic disease, Tempaitus. It had caused quick aging and she died because her immune system had grown too weak. He was supposed to help us but he backed out wanting immortality himself and sent you to retrieve the stone for him wondering if you'd stop me from getting what's rightfully mine. Snape was sent to ensure that."

"Why did you shatter the mirror then if it's the only way you could obtain the stone?" Harry asked.

Suddenly Quirrell stepped in front of Harry as a red-haired boy had stepped out of the shadows and fired a yellow coloured hex.

"Isn't that..." Harry asked beyond shocked at seeing what looked like one of his friends firing a curse at him.

Quirrell said nothing though instead firing a wordless curse causing Ron to collapse unconscious and he continued his explanation as if there were no interruptions.

"To prevent the stone from getting into the wrong hands. You are injured Mr Potter if you like I can take you to the hospital wing but be cautious of the potions professor who knows what he's capable of."

Quirrell held out his hand which Harry looked at for a brief moment contemplating the information he received. There was no doubt that Harry had put a lot of trust in Severus Snape but he had thought Snape was trying to protect him. Perhaps Professor Quirrell wasn't so bad.

HP

End notes: I updated this a little early seeing as I already made the corrections.

Feedback: If there is any criticisms left in the form of anonymous reviews, if possible please leave details about corrections that otherwise can't be corrected through spellcheck. Meaning if there is a review that says: I hate the way you portray (a character) or the way you had character a communicate with character b is stupid or etc...what I want to know is why and what I could do to possibly change it otherwise I will not be able to make corrections or even consider making corrections.

Emily-She does have more than one purpose in this fic which is why I added her but with adding an OC I wanted to make her interesting so I gave her flaws so I'm glad she's at least somewhat likable. I will be covering her to a much later extent in later chapters though.

In response to BumbleBeez: I don't know exactly what part you'd like me to slow the pacing on but I'm guessing that more depth should be emphasized on Pettigrew and McGonagall's meeting and have thus extended the scene. If the matter is the pacing of the plot though don't think for a second that after Quirrell that book 1 is over. *smiles*


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Christmas with Snape and Emily.

As Harry arrived in the hospital wing he spotted Ron and Hermione on hospital beds as well. Hermione's eyes widened at the sight of them.

Harry was just about to wonder why when his head began to feel an intense jarring pain and blackness filled his vision.

The next time he awoke, it was to the pain of a massive headache.

"I see you're finally awake."

He was confused. As far as he was concerned he didn't seem to be injured so why was he in the hospital wing.

If he wasn't mistaken Snape was also looking at him with something akin to concern.

Harry looked around, he didn't appear to be at Hogwarts at all.

"Professor, where am I?" He asked with fake modesty. While what happened prior to this was a tad fuzzy, he did know though that there was more to Snape then what appeared.

"You're at St. Mungos. I had you admitted a week ago."

"What? Why?" Harry asked in genuine confusion.

"You were gravely injured."

Harry was confused by the man's behavior.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked.

Harry was very mystified at the man's concern. It didn't seem to fit the man at all. He imagined from the way that the man had been looking at him on the first day of potion class that he despised him and he was fine with that but now he was slightly spooked at the concern he could see in his eyes.

"How would you like me to look at you?"

"Stop with the niceties. You're creeping me out since when do you feel the need to exert effort to be nice to me."

In fact Harry found himself suspicious at the sudden change of Snape's behavior.

'Did I get a concussion?' Harry thought for as far as he was concerned feeling around his head for a bruise or a lump. There was no memory whatsoever of the injury that had put him in the hospital wing.

Just then Ron pushed past Snape running to meet Harry at his bedside.

Suddenly there was a flash of memory that indicated that Ron was the one that had attacked him while they were confronting Quirrell.

"Go away." Harry said before turning on his other side.

Snape from the corner of his eye turned to leave.

There was a yearning for the man, a desire for him not to leave.

Did the man really think that Harry was referring to him?

"Not you." He told Snape. "You."

Harry angrily pushed Ron away from him.

"What's the matter with you?" Ron asked looking very confused by Harry's cold behavior.

"Don't act so innocent. You tried to kill me."

Snape's eyes widened.

"I didn't." Ron retorted.

"Get away from me." Harry snarled. "I don't want you near me ever again."

Ron left with his head looking downward and his arms sunken with defeat.

Snape's arms folded in his stance of all seriousness.

"What was that all about?"

"How long have I been here?" Harry asked, feeling very disoriented and bewildered.

"You've been in here for approximately a week."

Flashes of what happened a week ago came to mind. There was the troll, the trials and then Snape attacked him. Quirrell said something about him using Harry as a guinea pig to obtain the philosopher's stone. Snape was using him, intending on using him for his own gains.

Harry's eyes narrowed on Snape's.

"What are you really doing here? Don't give me that story that you actually care what happens to me because I don't buy it."

Snape in turn narrowed his eyes glancing his direction with his dissecting gaze trying to piece Harry together as if he were a complicating puzzle.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"Something happened and I intend on finding out what."

"You stay away from me. I won't help you and I don't care if you bring Dumbledore."

The older man was startled by the proclaimation, his eyebrows rose in something akin to surprise much to Harry's bafflement.

"The doctors intend on releasing you today. I hope you're looking forward to your vacation as you've seemed to neglect to remember that you will be staying at my house for the rest of the holiday."

Harry nodded begrudgingly.

"Emily is looking forward to seeing you."

Just then one of the doctors walked in. Harry noted the round man was old and bald with tufts of gray hair on the sides of his head. He had a face that gave off the impression that he could be manically insane his bright blue eyes a fitting contrast.

"I trust you are feeling better?" The man murmured in a creepy high-pitched voice. Harry thought the man might have had a cold if he hadn't been aware there were people with voices like that.

"Yes."

"I am Doctor Moreau." He introduced himself holding out his hand. Harry took it in greeting, shaking it firmly.

"What kind of doctor are you?" Harry asked curiously.

"Oh, I mostly deal with patients with more mortal injuries than yourself when I'm not working at my area of expertise. I'm heaps better at my other job, you see I'm a doctor who works at doctoring memory primarily those who find themselves with altered memories and memory blocks."

"Memory blocks?"

"Those are the most dangerous." Doctor Moreau explained. "Sometimes they trigger other spells that have been cast as a defence to those trying to access the memories."

"Mr Moreau here is taking on the position as the History of Magic professor." Snape explained.

"What happened to Professor Binns?"

"Dumbledore insisted he take a permanent sabbatical." Snape replied with a grin.

HPSS

Upon coming home after his stay at St Mungos, Snape took Harry to his home on Spinner's End.

Harry was surprised. Besides the bookshelves lined against the wall and the uncomfortable looking chair in the middle of the room the place was quite barren.

"It's kind of depressing." He said bluntly.

"Not pampered enough to suit you needs?" Snape asked, having the gall of feeling offended at the comment.

"Yes, if you mean the bare minimum." Harry replied cheekily.

Judging by the barren look of the place, Harry gathered that the only possessions that were in the house were necessities.

"Malory is right, your place is really bland."

"I keep what is needed to survive." Snape snarled. Figures Potter wouldn't be able to respect his thrifty behavior.

Harry's ears perked. The next thing he knew, Harry began to erupt in uncontrollable laughter.

"I don't see how you find this so funny."

"You're quite a simple man, aren't you." Harry pointed out, trace of his amusement still present after he managed to sputter that out.

Snape for the life of him couldn't understand the boy at all. He had thought the boy was mocking him yet there was something in his eyes if he didn't know better he would say it was understanding and respect.

Perhaps the boy was more resourceful than he looked.

The evening was Christmas. Emily had managed to persuade Snape in putting up a Christmas tree in the middle of his house.

Harry had received several gifts from Aunt Malory, Uncle Lionel and Professor Dumbledore as well.

Uncle Lionel had given Harry a mirror of truth, Aunt Malory had given him a sketchbook and Dumbledore had given him an invisibility cloak handed down from his father.

Out of all the gifts he had received he was shocked that Snape was the most curious about the sketchbook, Malory had given him. Quite amazing considering Harry was the most curious as to why Dumbledore sent him the invisibility cloak. What purpose did Dumbledore have with keeping his father's invisibility cloak?

"Oh, she's an artist." Harry explained. "I used to draw alot before attending Hogwarts that Malory would have to buy a sketchbook for me every month."

"Really?" Emily cut in with excitement. "Can you draw me?"

"I wouldn't particularly recommend it." Harry said wryly.

"Why?" She asked.

"The things I tend to draw fade away after I draw them."

Snape's ears perked up in curiousity. What exactly did the boy mean by that?

Harry collected his feet.

"I do have some sketches I can show you though."

Snape and Emily waited until Harry came back with his sketchbooks.

Opening his sketchbook he began to show them his drawings.

The first page was a picture of a grey rose however Snape began to sense something very eerie about it.

He could almost feel a presence as if the picture were alive.

Emily seemed to sense the same thing.

"Did you capture it's soul or something? The picture seems very alive."

"That's what I mean." Harry explained. "I always felt as if I captured it's soul in the drawing."

"They're wizards who can do that kind of thing." Snape explained. "Though few possess that ability."

Emily looked up at Snape in disgust.

"Who would want an ability like that? To me, if an artist can't become the work of art there is no point." She said.

It wasn't a very known fact but it had always had been one of her dreams to escape from reality with her mother and father always fighting at the manor.

Something in her words comforted Harry as his hobby didn't seem to creep her out in the slightest. It also helped relieve the anxiety heightened by the shrewd look that Snape had given him.

HPSS

Over the course of the holiday with the threat of Professor Quirrell being out of the way, Harry found himself interested in the animagus magic that Pettigrew had used.

'Perhaps I could ask the professor to teach me.' Harry thought. 'I'll have to be cautious though. He can't do anything when I'm around Emily."

During the holiday, Snape would usually take his time working in his lab while Harry was cooped up in his room. There was a secret door hidden under a couple of floorboards under his favourite chair. Harry knew about this chair one evening from spying on the professor from his room nearby.

One day, Harry walked up to the floorboard dragging Emily along, finally gathering the courage to ask the professor about teaching him to become an animagus.

He removed the floorboards unveiling the door beneath them and proceeded knocking on it diligently.

"Professor?"

There was silence.

"Professor, I know you're down there. I have a question to ask you. Can I come down?"

"Shuddap, can't you see I'm busy."

Emily gave him a look that said 'I told you so'.

Harry ignored them, opening the door and dropping down into Professor Snape's lab.

The man on closer observation seemed to be working on a potion. After a while in which Harry assumed he had finished Snape turned towards him looking particularly vicious.

"Any reason why you happened to drop by my lab on such short notice?" Snape inquired dangerously.

"When you're not too busy I was wondering if you could teach me how to become an animagus?"

Snape's eyes widened in surprise.

"You came down here just for that?"

"So can you teach me?"

"The process requires getting registered at the Ministry of Magic as learning it is illegal."

"Why?"

"An animagus could stay in their animal forms which could be problematic if one tries to search for say a criminal."

"You say that but do you think it's possible to learn it illegally without being caught?"

Snape narrowed his eyes shrewdly.

"You said Peter Pettigrew wasn't an animagus which implies you only know about the legal animagus who've registered at the Ministry." Harry said.

"What makes you certain he's an animagus?"

"I saw him in Professor McGonagall's office."

Snape looked skeptical.

"It doesn't matter anyway, because you said he wasn't an animagus implying that if he was one it would be illegal anyway meaning that he was not only able to become one without registering at the Ministry but he also was never able to get caught for his illegal activity." Harry said.

"Where are you going with this?"

"I'm merely saying that it could be more advantageous to know how to become an illegal animagus rather than a legal one if someone tried to kill me for example."

Snape flinched.

"Not that it will happen as long as you're here."

The man's eyes seemed to stare at Harry with wonder. Harry thought their conversation might have appealed to a part of him that loved to teach.

"We'll see." He mumbled before returning to his potion.

HPSS

Over the last days of the holiday, Harry began to work diligently under Professor Snape's guidance bringing Emily along of course. One day in particular when Harry had dropped by his office to practise his magic, Snape had been acting peculiar. It was strange.

During these past several days Snape had him practising runic magic, an element in mastering shapeshifting magic.

Harry had been particularly frustrated at how difficult it was and had took it out on Snape.

It wasn't something unheard of when concerning Harry. Primarily when something proved too difficult for him to understand, Harry always gave up.

He couldn't remember why though one who knew of these things would know that it was something ingrained from living with the Dursleys. There was one time he had some difficulty with his homework and had asked his aunt and uncle about it.

"You're a genius if even your homework is too difficult." Petunia said.

He remembered feeling angry at the smug look on Vernon's face, still he had begged in the quest for answers.

When they weren't too compliant, Harry had nearly destroyed the house before Vernon had walloped him several times.

Since that point, he was always careful never to ask questions in fear of his uncle's anger. He knew if his relatives had the chance to provoke his anger they would and it just wasn't worth it.

"Mr Potter." Snape said cutting through Harry's thoughts. "Is there any reason for this foolish anger of yours?"

"Foolish?" Harry snapped. "It isn't any more foolish than you are."

Snape's eyes glistened with anger before they instantly vanished behind a mask. The man appeared to be containing himself.

"Foolish? You haven't done a single thing worth merit just sitting here snapping at me in frustration but not once have you asked for my help."

"Why can't I just give up?"

Snape's eyes widened in surprise.

'Why does he give up so quickly?' He thought. 'It's like he lacks ambition.'

"Giving up so quickly? You didn't seem to lack the drive when you rescued me from Quirrell."

The boy was stubbornly silent. What was the difference between then and now?

'Does he not have a reason to be motivated?' Snape thought.

"I refuse to accept your defeat so easily. Try again." He demanded.

Harry looked up startled at the proclaimation.

"Did I stutter? If you give up now then you forget about asking my help about anything."

Much to his satisfaction the boy looked livid.

"That's blackmail." He said with a flustered look on his face.

Snape chuckled.

"Fool, you don't even know a thing about blackmail."

Harry took out the Ancient Rune textbook that Snape had provided.

Certain symbols of runes indicated letters in the roman alphabet and in order to decipher spells there was a requirement of finding the meaning behind the runic letters of the spell in Advanced Transfiguration textbook.

After minutes looking at the text in perplexity, Snape looked over his shoulder.

"Do you need help on something?"

"Do you have to hover over my shoulder like that? It's creepy."

"What do you need help with?" Snape asked with the upmost patience.

"I can't decipher this runic letter."

The letter he was referring to was a combination of a rotated C and a square.

Where as most runic letters had one meaning, there were some with a dual meaning.

"What you're looking for isn't always going to be blatant." Snape said, leaving Harry to bask in his frustration. The boy clearly never got the hidden meaning behind his words.

Something however popped up in Harry's head at his words. The two letter runic symbol could be decrypted as either doomed heart or sealed box. Looking beyond that however he looked at the shape of two letters. It looked like the C was coming out of the square which reminded Harry of a box. Perhaps the whole meaning behind that letter wasn't it's literal meaning but rather it's figurative meaning of thinking outside the box.

During this time, Harry was unaware of the expression on his face of utter concentration of being completely absorbed in something.

Snape looked upon him with something akin to awe. Did the boy get his hint?

"Since school is going to be starting a couple of weeks, you are only to practise this while you're at my house. While the Ministry could possibly care less about someone practising illegal magic, I'd rather not chance the fact that you can get arrested for it."

During the last days of the holiday, Harry began to work diligently under Professor Snape's guidance until school had started again.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Suspicions.

Before classes had began after the holiday, Snape had received a letter from Dumbledore. He dropped by Dumbledore's office just before breakfast.

"I'm afraid I have grave news. During the holidays, Mr and Ms Granger dropped by my office." He said.

Snape's eyes narrowed, his lips curled in a frown.

"What does this have to do with me? By extension what does this have to do with Potter."

"The Grangers were quite concerned when their daughter was found to be unable to speak. I recommended that they take their daughter to St. Mungos. The doctors there seem to think someone might have been providing means of making sure that their daughter keeps her mouth shut.

"What makes you think that?"

"There is a unremovable device around her neck. Trying to touch or remove it seems to trigger severe pain. Ms Granger has fears that removing the device will bring about her death."

"It could be the work of Quirrell." Snape said.

"I have no doubt that it's Quirrell but one must wonder why he'd stoop to such tactics." Dumbledore mused. "Whatever happens to I have your word that you'll protect the boy?"

"Undoubtedly."

The holiday was short lasting as Snape had taken Harry back to Hogwarts through less than preferable means. Apparation was not one of Harry's strong suits and he had to stop every now and then to let the dizziness subside. Nothing however could dampen his mood now that he was back at Hogwarts however. He was looking forward to meeting his friends again.

On the way to the Great Hall, he met up with Susan who was taken aback by his exuberant behavior.

"What's got you so excited?"

"Oh nothing." Harry replied. "How are you?"

"My two aunts came over for Christmas. Aunt Lindy brought over my three cousins and we enjoyed a nice turkey dinner. You?"

"I had Christmas at Professor Snape's house."

"Really?" Susan asked in surprise.

Harry chuckled.

"As you can see I made it to tell the tale."

"Does he celebrate it?" Susan asked in excited anticipation. The two had tossed some theories over whether or not Snape celebrated Christmas or not with them coming to a theory that he did not.

"No." Harry replied with music. "Not only did he prove our theories right, he thought the holiday was a waste of time and insisted staying in his lab during the rest of the holiday."

"You don't seem to mind it either way." Susan said.

"Haha, well he's quite a fun man to be around if you don't let his insults get to you." Harry said dryly. "Anyway Emily insisted he set up a Christmas tree in the middle of his home."

"How did that turn out?"

"Well I got gifts from Uncle Lionel, Aunt Malory and Professor Dumbledore. After that Professor Snape had Emily clean up the pine quills on the floor for the rest of the week."

Susan's eyes darted up at the darkened look on Harry's face.

"Something seems to bother you."

Harry told Susan everything that had happened.

"He didn't try anything on you did he?" She asked. All that time that Harry had been talking of how fun it was at Snape's house, Susan realised he must have also had been quite scared, and a bit cautious.

"No."

"Luckily Emily was there then."

Susan seemed to be deep in her own thoughts as this occurred not noticing when someone approached them.

Harry poked her to get her attention.

"Oh, I have someone I want you to meet." Susan said eyes popping up in realisation it seemed as she was looking beside Harry.

A girl with a pink face and blonde hair had ran up to Susan.

"This is Hannah Abbott. We became friends before the holiday."

Harry's eyes lit up.

"Nice to meet you, Hannah."

The three headed to the Great Hall where they split off and went their separate ways. At the table Harry could see Ron sitting next to Hermione. He appeared to be sulking.

'He's awfully whiny.' Harry thought.

"Hey Hermione."

Hermione's eyes lit up at the sight of him.

Harry took a seat between her and Seamus.

When there was no reply, Harry turned to ask Seamus about it.

"What's with her?" Harry asked, puzzled by the lack of reply from the girl.

Dean piped up.

"She can't talk because she lost her voice." He said.

"Oh."

Ron looked a tad upset with that revelation.

"You shouldn't tell everyone. She doesn't want much people to know about it." He snapped at Dean.

"Say Harry did you hear about the new professor for History of Magic?"

"Professor Moreau? He took over Binn's position. Snape said Dumbledore sent him on a permanent sabbatical."

"Good. With him around we'd never receive any of our graded weekly homework assignments."

HPSS

Upon sitting in the classroom of History of Magic, Harry could see Professor Moreau had decorated the front of the classroom with mirrors that were reflecting posters with unreadable writing depicted by the fact that some letter of the words were missing giving Harry the impression that the writings were ancient.

He found himself eager for his first class with Professor Moreau. Harry however was unprepared for the insanity he had to face.

The students were murmuring amongst each other as he introduced himself.

Professor Moreau began to lecture on the gradual decay of ancient magics through the years.

"Back in the 1000 a.d, dark magic wasn't illegal like it is now. Over the years the Ministry for Magic has tightened regulations on the practise of some magics which is why there are rarely any masters in one area of magic."

At the sound of snoring, the man looked up in irritation his face contorted and ugly a complete three sixty from his calm demeanor. He shot several sparks from his wand capturing the attention of the class.

"Quit sleeping." He snapped. "I have a class to teach."

Most of the students began to laugh at the professor's silly voice.

"Quiet, I say."

The noise gradually died down.

"Mr Potter."

Harry's eyes looked up in attention.

Professor Moreau motioned towards the seat nearest his desk.

"You are to sit up here in the front of the class."

Harry was puzzled at the professor's word but immediately obeyed.

At the front of the class, Moreau began to ask him some question concerning what he had been talking about. Harry however had only been listening to half of it as he had dosed off every now and then.

"Why does the Ministry for Magic regulate the magic of necromancers?" He asked.

From the information gathered from the lecture, Harry made an educated guess.

"Because it's dangerous?"

"I see you obnoxious students aren't the only ones with a short attention span." He said, his mirth seeming to be at Harry's expense.

Harry flushed.

"Mr Potter, would you mind telling me what exactly were the purpose of geomancers?"

"Are they wizards who study rocks?"

"No need for any cheek. You will address me with respect or face the end of my rod." Moreau said sternly.

Harry gulped. The man looked completely serious. It had been years since the last time he had been issued a spanking.

"As you know geomancers are wizards whose magic is connected to the earth."

Everyone deligently took notes not wanting to fall asleep in case Professor Moreau issued a spanking.

"Mr Potter, mind telling class why you're not taking any notes?"

"Uh-no." Harry said honestly. The paper he had been using to take notes had several scribbled notes that look illegible. He had been in such a hurry since the teacher talked so fast.

"Get up, Mr Potter. I will not be made a fool of."

Harry was bewildered by the complete 360 degree behavior coming from his doctor. The man had seemed quite pleasant despite looking a little looney however now Harry was feeling something equivalent to fear.

"Stand in the right corner, face towards the wall."

"What?"

His confusion didn't seem to register as Professor Moreau mistook it for disobedience grabbing Harry by the upper arm and shoving him in the corner. Harry could feel magic permanently binding him so he was glued to the wall.

The gesture filled Harry with confusion, bewilderment, betrayal and a slight amount of guilt for not being upfront.

Yet a part of himself couldn't help but feel the man had been unfair.

Why hadn't Professor Moreau given him time to say his story?

How could he have left that narrow-minded man to punish him without fighting back in self-defence. His magic practically binded him helplessly against the wall with most of his classmates laughing at him.

The disgust as the professor grew until the end of class in which Harry became free of his enchantments. He didn't like feeling so helpless in front of his enemies and he felt that Professor Moreau was his enemy.

HPSS

That afternoon during lunch, Harry courageously dropped by Snape's office. Usually he'd express caution when approaching him but he was certain if things began to fall to pieces Professor Flitwick or McGonagall would rescue him because by the looks of it they also hated Snape and likely didn't trust Dumbledore.

"Come in."

Harry walked inside seeing Snape pacing around his office in thought.

"What's the matter with you?" He asked curiously.

Snape looked up, appearing to just notice Harry standing in front of him.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have something better to do?" Snape grumbled.

"Actually, I was wondering whether you can tutor me on some useful spells and potions."

"Why? What are you motives, Potter?"

Harry flushed. "Look I'm not trying to cook up any trouble. I'm being honest."

Snape looked at Harry, eyes narrowed in doubt.

"Then what could you possibly want to learn from me that you haven't learned from your other professors?"

"I want to know some spells that I can use to defend myself." Harry explained. "I would ask Professor McGonagall or Professor Flitwick but I heard they're not taught until our second year."

"With good reason. From the looks of it, using them with that brawn of yours you'd cause more destruction than provide any beneficial help."

Harry pouted.

"Look professor, you're a good teacher and I'd really like to learn."

"There's more to this isn't there?" Snape asked irritably. He'd have normally used legilimency to get the answers from the boy, but the control he had over his emotions often slipped when dealing with him.

The boy often tested his emotional control so it was the upmost patience that Snape stood there waiting for him to come clean however Harry just stood there looking very stoic. He also had a sickly palor as if he were ill.

'Is the boy alright?' Snape thought before he could stop it. 'Damn it, I won't be concerned for the Potter incarnate.'

"Look I don't have time for your games." Snape explained. "If you don't have anything more to discuss with me I have grading to do."

Harry's eyes lit up curiously.

"Oh then I can meet you tomorrow to discuss about this then?"

"Yes Potter." Snape muttered, his left hand clasping his head in exasperation.

"Then that's good. I guess I'll stop by tomorrow then." Harry said before running off with a grin on his face before Snape could say anything.

"Pot-Damn it, Potter. I didn't say I agreed to train you. Damn you." Snape growled to himself.

Harry however found himself visibly relieved that Snape hadn't further questioned him. The truth of the matter was there was pride at stake. Professor Moreau made him feel so terribly weak and he felt if he went to Snape just to talk, he'd seem even weaker.

'It probably better not to give the enemy any more information about their opponent than necessary.' Harry thought. Snape did try to kill him after all.

HPSS

During Transfiguration class, Harry was lost in thought and he found it hard to focus as Professor McGonagall began to start her lecture.

Why did Ron look so confused so long ago when Harry had accused him of attacking him? Did he really have no idea why he had attacked Harry? No that was impossible, the intent had been very clear in his eyes so unless there was magic that could cause someone to have deadly intentions towards someone else than that theory was impossible.

Another thing was bothering him as well. Ron had been looking at him with distrustful eyes. Did he have a different memory of the events?

Even from his experience with the otherwise Harry had known there was simply no going by first impressions of a person to convey their personality. Even if his first impression of Snape was spot on it didn't mean that he should judge a person based on first impressions. There was no ruling out anything perhaps Ron might be capable of shedding light on the fuzzy events.

He didn't think Quirrell had anything to do with it either. Really the person he suspected from these events was Snape. That was really the only person he wanted to talk to right now.

After class, his frustration mounted as he approached the door to Snape's office.

Snape didn't appear to be present however.

He needed someone to talk to, the desire to talk to a friend about his worries and anxieties.

His desire to talk with someone led him to look for Susan however who he saw was Hannah lurking by the kitchens.

Draco Malfoy with his two buddies, Blaise and Pansy taunting her.

"I see you're finally away from your lovely posse."

'Posse? Who in their right mind uses that word to describe it?' Harry thought.

Hannah looked absolutely bewildered with fear at the look of the three.

"Get away from me." She cried out.

"Not as courageous without your friends are you?"

"Leave her alone, Malfoy." Harry bravely spat out.

Draco turned eyebrows raised with surprise.

"My, my you've finally turned up for the show?" He taunted.

"I didn't know I was Mr Hotshot."

Draco flushed.

"You have the weirdest taste in friends, Potter."

"Oh, thinking of joining my weird posse?" Harry asked before chuckling at the look on his face.

"I don't have any desire to join your band of friends, Potter." Draco snapped, bumping intentionally into Harry's shoulder as he roughly cut through them heading in the opposite direction.

Blaise chuckled, winking at Harry before they left. It seemed there was more to that boy then what met the eye.

After Draco had left, Harry and Hannah used this time to converse with each other.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Hannah said.

"Where's Susan?"

"Oh she had detention with Professor Moreau."

"I see."

"Did you want to talk to her?"

"Yeah."

"You can talk to me if you want."

Harry told her about his memories of the confrontation with Snape, about his conversation with Ron and how he suspected that his memories weren't quite right.

"There is magic that can cause memories to be erased from anyone's head. Most wizards need discipline to perform that kind of thing though. You could talk to Quirrell, he might know something."

Now that Harry thought about it that did seem like a good idea.

HPSS

Over a period of weeks proving that Harry deciding to learn new powers isn't only instigated by the women in his life, he began training with Snape his motivation fueled by his sense of self-preservation.

Snape started with standard spell used with dueling.

"You are to only use this in self-defence are we clear?" He said sternly, leaving no room for argument.

"Of course." Harry replied, a little puzzled by the twitch of the man's eyebrows which he equivocated with irritation. "What's the matter with you?"

"I believe that is none of your business, Mr Potter."

"None of my business? The irritation on your face is completely obvious."

"If you must know several things were stolen from my classroom in case your curious and if you're the one responsible for this you better come clean right now, Potter."

"I may have stolen several potion ingredients from your stores before I think I made it pretty obvious it was me at the time. Remember, I'm Mr Incompetent." Harry scoffed.

"Sulking doesn't suit you. Now get your arse over here."

Snape began to show him proper wand stance after that instigating a wizarding duel.

"A proper wizarding duel has two people. The one whose in the fight and the second who's on the sidelines in case the other perishes." He explained. "These fights can be with wands, swords or a combination of swords and wands."

"Do we learn about sword fighting in our second year at Hogwarts also?"

"No that's reserved for third years as it's quite dangerous. If the Ministry for some reason finds it in their heart to ban it there is a chance you won't even learn about it."

Harry looked a little grim at that piece of information.

"Since we have no seconds, we are going to stage a duel so to speak in order to practise your spell-casting. The only way to learn more efficiently is to practise this in real life combat so I will not be going easy on you."

"I didn't expect you to." Harry said in return.

"On the count of three."

Snape was poised in the dueling position, arm extended in the back of his head at a ninety degree angle with his wand pointed straight at Harry.

"One, two...Expelliarmus."

Harry ran to the side in just the nick of time as the red light hit the back wall of Snape's office which had been cleared of potential obstacles.

"Now that's not playing fair, Professor." Harry said, laughing mirthlessly. Fear fueled his moves now.

"Would you learn otherwise?" Snape replied with sadistic malice. "Terraemotor."

Harry saw large rock began to rise from the ground following a trail Snape had made with his wand.

The rocks were heading towards him.

"Bombarda." Harry said.

The rocks shattered in small pieces.

"Diffindo."

Harry was startled at the use of the severing hex.

"Terroscutum."

The bits of debree left by the rocks formed into an earth shield that had stopped the severing hex from getting through.

"That's a handy piece of craftwork." Snape said panting as if their duel had him working up a sweat.

"You certainly seemed to enjoy it." Harry pointed out not in the slightest bit amused.

The revelation however didn't make Snape all too happy. He found himself so carried away he had nearly killed the boy with the severing hex it was lucky he had taught him that shielding charm from before. It was a fairly minor one that wasn't as great as a protego would be but it seemed to do it's job.

"We are going to practice more next week, it could be helpful to quickly maneuver yourself away from spells should you find yourself in a situation where you are attacked." Snape explained. "It could also help buy you time should you find yourself in a situation where you are bombarded by spells and need to think of a strategic defence."

"Um Professor."

"What is it?" Snape asked irritably.

"Did you ever get the feeling that you might be forgetting something important?

Snape found himself perplexed.

"What could have possibly instigated that question?"

Did Snape not know that he had tried to attack Harry nearly a month ago?

"You're all about details. The duel. We did this before, what's different now?" Harry said with an expression of utter perplexity.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: When Things Gets Real.

One afternoon after class with Professor Moreau, Harry had rummaged through his bag looking for his sketchbook.

'I wonder where I left it.' Harry thought.

Like usual, classes with Professor Moreau were emotionally strenuous. It seemed as the weeks drew on that it became worse.

The man seemed to find sadistic pleasure in calling students in front of the class for his rounds of inflicting pain.

Often the man would experiment with some magic or some new potion he discovered. After class there was always one student who was being sent to the hospital wing.

'Still there's nothing I could do. The likelihood of any adult taking me seriously is near nilch.' Harry thought. Though for those who know his patterns of thinking he could really care less as long as the trouble didn't concern him.

Harry tried to recall the last place he had seen his sketchbook, his thoughts coming up with a blank.

'Well there's only one place to check.'

He walked back to the History of Magic classroom with the intention of getting his sketchbook back.

Inside the classroom the professor seemed to be relaxing behind his desk.

"Professor?"

"Yes...ah Potter, you've just arrived?"

"I'm here to get my sketchbook."

"Oh that thing."

Harry was startled, the man seemed oddly nonchalant and in an otherwise good mood. There was a sense of wonder at this change of demeanor.

"It's in my desk." He said, opening a drawer in his desk and taking out Harry's sketchbook. "These are fine drawings, Mr Potter. Quite lifelike aren't they?"

"Um, uh yes."

"No need to be so modest."

Harry's face turned crimson.

"This work is reminiscent of work I've often seen at the hands of sketchomancers." Stein said. "I'm a sketchomancer myself. It's a very taxing art primarily on the psyche."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Such wizards to remove life from it's reality. It has a dark toll on one's life, equivalent to using a dark curse. The value of a person's life weighs heavily on one's magic, the intensity of the backlash can even damage a wizard's sanity." Moreau explained.

Harry noticed his eyes were wide with fear as if this statement was directly related to him. There was a bit of regret in his eyes and remorse.

"Professor, are you alright?"

The man looked up startled from his inner musings.

"Is there something the matter?" He reached out for Harry, who flinched at his touch. Professor Moreau's eyes narrowed sharply.

"Professor?"

"You should come visit me in my office after your classes."

"Professor, I'm rather busy."

"If you have time reserved for Professor Snape, surely you can reserve some time with me?"

"I really can't." Harry lied.

"I see that a pity, I'd really like to teach you something if you have the time."

There was something genuine in his statement that seemed to change from his demeanor in class and Harry didn't like it. He didn't want to be in the middle of Professor Moreau's plans for the next class.

"Professor, can you give me my sketchbook please?"

Moreau seemed a little reluctant to give it to Harry before he handed it over to him.

After he had left, Harry told Hannah about his meeting with Professor Moreau.

"He's crazy." Harry said explaining about the complete change of behavior from the professor upon obtaining his sketchbook.

"He could have a multiple personality disorder. That's what the muggles call it, right?"

Ugh, it was frustrating. Her theory didn't seem to have any merit. Multiple personality? Did Professor Moreau have a name for his cruel self and a name for his nice self?

"Have you talked with Professor Quirrell about the memory problem?"

"I never had the time." Harry said.

"Maybe you could talk with him before Herbology?"

That afternoon, Harry dropped by Professor Quirrell's office.

"Professor?"

"Ah, M-Mr P-Potter." He stuttered through the door. "P-Please come in."

Harry came in.

"You know you don't have to stutter around me, professor."

Quirrell's eyes widened.

"Er, yes."

The man seemed befuddled and thrown off by the clumsy way he tried to keep his papers in an orderly pile.

"Do you have any memory of that day you released the troll at the school?"

"I'm very sorry about that." He said quickly. "I hope no one was hurt."

"It's fine." Harry said calmly, confused at the professor's behavior. "My memory is a little sketchy though. Do you know what happened?"

"I rescued you after Professor Snape attacked you. He was after the Philosopher's Stone. What more do you need to know?"

"What happened before that?"

"I'd assume you followed him through all five traps. It's the only way through to escape."

Something about that statement was bugging him. Didn't Quirrell come from the right side in one of the secret passages? If he did what would be the point of going through the traps to begin with?

The fact that the philosopher's stone was hidden at all was only known by several teachers and by the looks of it and even Snape didn't know how many traps were there. Implying he had never used anyone to get the philosopher's stone however Quirrell had insinuated there was something held in the mirror as if he had tried over and over to find ways to get to it just to get whatever it held.

If Dumbledore was desperate keep the philosopher's stone himself and use Snape in order to get it for him why wouldn't Snape know about the number of traps in the chamber. It would be beneficial to the person trying to get the stone to know exactly the contents of the traps and how many there were. The fact Quirrell knew how many traps they were at all implied that he hadn't known of the secret passage at all.

The only time Quirrell had been anywhere near the stone was when he released the troll. If Snape had been keeping an eye on Quirrell as sharply as indicated, there'd be no way he'd know about the traps unless he had been behind them.

Harry couldn't figure out how Ron had known about the secret passage though. He figured he'd have to ask much to his ire.

"Oh, thanks professor."

"If that's all you wanted to see me for Mr Potter, I suggest you get to class."

~HPSS~

That evening, Harry had told Hannah and Susan about what he uncovered from Professor Quirrell.

"What I can't figure out though is why he'd follow us if he knew about the secret corridor? The only way that would work is if Ron had knew about the secret passage." He said. "Do you think he knows about the secret passage?"

"I don't know." Susan replied.

"Could you ask him? He's probably angry with me. More than likely he'll avoid me."

"Alright." She replied before she approached him.

"Hey Ron."

"Aren't you 'his' friend?" Ron asked with his wounded pride indicating Harry with his pointer finger.

"Yes. He was scared of approaching you himself. He said you'd avoid him. All he wanted to know is if you knew of a corridor that lead to a large mirror placed in the middle of a room."

"A corridor that leads to a mirror?" Ron asked with bewilderment. "I've never seen a mirror that wasn't planted on some wall above a bathroom sink."

Susan conveyed the news to Harry.

Hannah chuckled.

"How was it upclose with Ron Weasley?" She asked in a teasing manner. "He does tend to sulk alot doesn't he?"

"He just a little hurt over how Harry treated him at St. Mungos." Susan said.

Harry ignored the girly banter putting things together in his head.

"Then that just proves my suspicions to be correct."

"Suspicions?"

"Snape couldn't have been lying about the traps in the corridor leading to the mirror. He didn't know about the traps because Snape always used the secret passage to get to the mirror. It doesn't explain why Quirrell used the secret passage though." Harry said.

"You said that Quirrell couldn't have possibly known about that secret passage because he only went down there once and none of the teachers knew the number of traps implying that there was absolutely no way, Quirrell could have gone to through the secret passage and known the number of traps present?"

"Yes."

"No one told him about the traps?"

"Snape said that Dumbledore was the one who asked the teachers to make the traps in the first place and that Snape was supposed to protect the stone from Professor Quirrell."

"The only thing that sounds even remotely possible at this point is if he had cast a memory charm on you." Hannah suggested.

"That makes sense." Susan replied in shock. "You did say Professor Quirrell was good with memory charms."

"I wouldn't approach him directly about it though." Hannah said. "Wizards like that are not above or beyond the use of unforgivable curses. If motivated he could probably cast spells that induce pain, kill you or use your mind as his own puppet."

"Why don't you tell Professor Snape?" Susan asked. "Even if he doesn't listen to you, he can still protect you from Professor Quirrell."

"Great idea."

~HPSS~

The next day, it was with reluctance that Harry went to History of Magic not looking forward to class with Professor Moreau.

By the end of class it was Harry's unfortunate luck that he received detention from Professor Moreau for refusing to participate in his little experiments.

It was that evening, Harry reluctantly knocked on the large wooden door that lead to the classroom.

"Enter."

"Mr Potter, I'd like to know why you insist on being so continually stubborn in my class. As you know it's my job as the professor to teach students everything I know and being an inactive participant will mean that I haven't done my job efficiently."

Harry was creeped out by his slasher smile and wondered whether he should be honest or lie. He wondered if the professor would see through his lie should he try and attempt it.

"Professor, I feel like our projects have been too dangerous." Harry said honestly.

He was fixated on the mirror hanging behind his desk . He looked down and saw the black potion from earlier in class sitting on his desk as well. He recognised it as a potion that was used in the chambers where that mirror was being held.

It smelled sweet, too sweet. A potion that had a similar scent was something Snape himself had cautioned him against. The man at that time had never steered him wrong.

Harry never thought though that Professor Moreau was capable of making a similar potion.

"For detention, you are to drink this." He said coolly, holding out the potion to Harry.

"What?"

"I thought I was clear."

Harry was taken aback by the deadly intent of the man's tone.

"No, are you crazy? That will kill me."

"Levicorpus."

Harry was hung upside down by his heel at the mercy of Professor Moreau.

Spinning in place Harry caught sight of the mirror from his upside down angle.

Reflecting on the mirror was completely legible words. What Harry had thought was jarbled ancient text was words that could only read backward and upside down. There were spaces between each syllable as if Moreau had hung poetry on the wall.

'His fam i ly gone, his child ren dead has ren dered Doc tor Jek yll un sta ble. A curse has be fall en him, u til lis ing his tal ents feast ing on his fear so much he has come to re ly on it to turn in to Mis ter Hyde.'

~Doc tor Mor eau- I will be come sane no long er

The poster on the wall from before suddenly made sense. Perhaps Moreau had laid cryptic messages around his room to tell them something.

Hannah might have been right perhaps Professor Moreau had been trying to get someone to help him sustain his dangerous personality.

"Like hanging upside down do you? Perhaps you'd enjoy the lovely wait of having your blood sink to the very top of your head causing your future imminent demise. It'd make the sight of your dismembered head so erotic." He said. "Though personally I'd rather enjoy the pleasures of keeping it clean as a momento of your pathetic existance. Your presence is nothing less than an insect being crushed beneath the bottom of a shoe and is useless to me. You have nothing I desire."

Indifferently Professor Moreau headed towards the door intending on leaving Harry there. The man was aware that a fully competent wizard could perhaps use magic to get themselves out of the predicament but the twist in this occasion was the fact there was only one countercurse for the spell and it was written in no readily bought potions book either and no first year would know the incantation of Finite Incantatem.

Harry seemed to realise this as well.

"Wait." He called out pathetically.

"What is it? Got something interesting for me." He taunted walking up to Harry who was still hanging upside down looking so closely at him as he were about to ravish him.

"I do. I do have something. I must have something I'm sure of it." He pleaded.

Moreau wordlessly relinguished the spell causing Harry to collapse harshly to the floor.

"Sorry if I ruptured any brain cells." He said maliciously dragging him to his feet peering into Harry's green eyes.

His sharp glance gave Harry the impression that he was reading his mind.

With disgust, Moreau pulled away.

"I see

"I see you're keeping things from me." He uttered in a cool dangerous tone.

"What?" The boy was genuinely confused.

"That memory block on your mind. I will shatter it. No one keeps things hidden from me."

The intensity of the man's eyes was too much for Harry and he felt his mind being split in two as the man pierced at the cage holding his memories.

Suddenly things became clear, the cryptic message on the mirror it was not only backward but upside down. What he thought were uppercase Ls were in fact lowercase Rs.

Lillow ot elizeq was upside down and spelled backwards. The message on the mirror in his dream was 'Mirror of Desire.'

This became clear even before the block on his memory had been removed.

Harry was shocked by the memories released from the block.

After the point he had confronted Quirrell the true memory came pouring forth in his mind.

Quirrell had attacked them from the back when they had stepped into the room with the mirror of erised.

The red hex had come from behind knocking his wand from his hand and he turned and saw that Snape was right next to him having not moved an inch to attack him. The wand in his hand nowhere to be seen.

Snape turned and saw Quirrell looking at them both with an evil grin on his face.

"Quirrell." Snape muttered distastefully.

"The two of you make this too easy."

Snape shifted in Harry's arms his lips close to his ear.

"Move us to the side, Potter. I need to see my enemy." He whispered.

With impulsive precision, Quirrell fired a skillful hex their way. Snape pushed Harry aside before quickly casting a shielding spell.

Snape however had no time to drop his guard as Quirrell was relentless in his spell firing. He winced as his leg began to feel the brunt of his weight. The truth was Professor Snape wasn't expecting Professor Quirrell to have been following them all the way to the room with the Philosopher's stone. He had been expecting to leave the place through the hidden exit in this room, the shortcut leading to the room next to the hospital wing where he could finally take the time to mend his bleeding wound.

Throughout this time Snape had only been bearing it, the intensity of the pain grew the longer he was standing on his mingled leg. Eventually the pain would be too blinding for him and he'd have cater to it.

Snape followed Quirrell's glistening blue eyes which seemed to plant on the mirror near the end of the room. Was that where Dumbledore hid the stone?

Firing spells of horrifying origins, Snape was unprepared for the disarming spell that came out of nowhere as Quirrell cast an incarcerating charm on the rope in attempt to ensnare him.

"Incarcerous."

"Incendio." Snape said trying to cast the flaming spell in attempt to burn the magic rope however the rope remained untarnished by the spell.

"It's futile. The rope in this room has had protections cast on it, your spell is useless, Snape."

Growling Snape turned his wand towards the mirror.

"Reducto."

The mirror shattered.

"NOOOOOO!" Two voices screamed in unison surprising him. Snape looked down at Harry. The boy's eyes widened with fear as he was sitting on his knees.

"You'll pay for that Snape." Quirrell snarled.

Snape defiantly met his malicious gaze.

"Confundo."

The man became limp in his bindings.

Quirrell drew closer to the boy.

"Mr Potter how good of you to join me this evening."

Harry backed up in horror as Quirrell's gaze bore into his eyes.

Flashes of memories passed by his vision. His life at the Dursleys, his life with Malory, the moments he had with his friends, how he had figured out Quirrell was after the stone.

Then just as suddenly, Harry saw Quirrell whose wand was touching his forehead.

"Obliviate."

The next moment he awoke Quirrell was grinning as his wand was pointing at Snape. A fog was clouding the older man's eyes as he pointed his wand at Harry. Deep in the dark depths, he prayed this wouldn't be his final moment on planet Earth as he saw a flicker flash past Snape's eyes as his lips began to curl in a sneer.

Then Harry was back in Professor Moreau's classroom. The man had a sly grin in his face.

"Fascinating memory but perhaps you should have contributed more effort."

The man turned to get the potion on his desk.

Harry was horrified. What was he going to do? Any second and he was sure the man was going to kill him.

"Expelliarmus." He said in a desperate attempt to get the wand out of his hands.

The man chuckled giving Harry a side glance.

"I believe you've been a naughty boy." He said stepping around his desk with a long rod in his hand.

Was the man going to try and spank him into obedience after issuing a death threat?

Harry's tactic hadn't been very efficient. The only person who could help him was most likely nowhere in his vicinity and in the corners of his mind he sincerely wished he was blessed with as much good luck that a god could have appeared somewhere like a literary plot device to whisk him away from this situation. He was sure somewhere in some alternate universe this could have happened but as it was Harry couldn't have been more unluckier.

Now Harry had to rely on his intelligence for once to get out of this situation. Snape had taught him a couple of spells that could be of use but he was certain Professor Moreau was more powerful than he was.

'What would Snape do in this situation?' Harry thought. Snape had told him that not all solutions were solved with brawn, he even emphasised daily how it was beneficial to rely on wit every once in a while.

Then the idea hit him.

Harry pointed his wand at his mouth with the intent in mind of being loud enough for Snape to hear.

"Sonorus."

"SNAPE...HELP ME."

The power of the spell had clung to every bit of Harry's intention as it echoed loudly through the castle.

Moreau quickly got the potion, picking up his wand and pointing it at Harry.

"Langlock."

Harry felt his tongue meet the roof of his mouth.

"What will you do now? There is no one here to save you. You've treaded the beaten path for far too long how will you fare when that path gives way?"

He revelled in Harry's fear as he fruitlessly tried to escape the classroom until eventually he grew tired of it.

Moreau cast a leg locker curse on Harry causing him fall on the ground.

The man knelt over Harry straddling his hips, the vial of poison heading towards his mouth.

One of his arms held both of the boy's arms in place as his right hand attempted to administer the potion.

In the fair distant on the corner of his fear induced mind, Harry could hear the faint sound of knocking on the door as the tip of the potion's vial brushed against his lips.

There was hope at the corner of his mind that his plea had been successful and it offered him strength as his hands had broke free from the professor's strong grasp and knocked the bottle out of his hands causing the potion on his right side. He could feel it seeping his robes.

There was the faint sound of the door squeaking as if someone was franctically trying to turn the knob in a panic.

"Why you little brat." Moreau snarled, grabbing the rod at his side intending on hitting Harry with it.

Harry braced himself for the pain before the big wooden door was blasted open.

He opened his eyes to the sight of Moreau who was bewildered from the combination of the sound and the firm grasp on both of his hands clinging to the rod he had intended on striking him with.

Harry was paralysed with fear at the implications of what he had tried to do. Professor Moreau had tried to kill him.

He looked up and saw Snape looking at him with a furious expression on his face but Harry was focused on the lost look on Professor Moreau's face.

"Incarcerous."

Harry heard Snape as he began tying Professor Moreau to a chair.

"Potter, are you alright?"

"Of course I'm not alright. He tried to kill me."

"Kill you?"

"The potion." Harry said looking to his right side. The potion was beginning to eat through his robes. "He tried to make me drink it."

"Stand up, Potter."

Harry complied.

"Remove your robes."

The moment Harry had removed his robes, a ball of fire had escaped Snape's wand burning them to a fine ash.

Snape knelt down on his haunches taking a brief whiff of the potion on the floor.

"Indeed." He remarked in what Harry could only describe as shock with the way his eyebrows had rose to his hairline. Snape turned to help Harry to his feet.

"W-Why does he work at this school?" Harry asked, trying to mask the fear out of his voice.

"I have suspicions that the school board might have had no idea they had hired a complete psychopath." He said before he gestured to Harry in encouragement in hopes of providing comfort. Harry took it for what it was and desperately clinged to him in a tight embrace.

The gesture while it didn't induce tears was a brief comfort to this horrifying nightmare.

Snape pulled away from the embrace focusing on the psychopath on his hands.

"We have to deliver him to the headmaster. We can't have a professor attacking their students." He said mustering a calm demeanor.

"I'll go with you." Harry said, not willing to admit that the reason for doing so was simply because the History of Magic professor had unnerved him.

Snape's eyes were focused on something else however as he removed a book from Professor Moreau's desk.

"Is that that object that you were looking for?" Harry asked curiously, puzzled as to why Snape was interested in an old potions book.

He shrunk the book and put it in his pocket.

"Mobilicorpus." Snape chanted pointing his wand towards the chair that held Professor Moreau.

Harry followed Snape to Dumbledore's office. The headmaster was puzzled by the presence of Professor Moreau.

"Is there a reason why he's here?" He asked.

"As usual, the school board has seen it fit to hire a complete psychopath as if the curse on Defence Against the Dark Arts position wasn't worse."

Dumbledore looked confused.

"What has he done?"

"He had tried to poison Potter." Snape explained.

"Not just me." Harry insisted. "He's tried to do it with other students too."

"I will inform the school board and they'll deal with the matter."

Satisfied with that, Snape wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulder leading him out of the headmaster's office.

"Wait, Harry." Dumbledore called out to him.

Snape relinguished his protective embrace of Harry leaving him in the room with Dumbledore.

"I trust you've been enjoying yourself at this school."

"Not a lot has happened other than the neverending death traps that seem to lurk at this school. Why did you hide the philosopher's stone here? The real reason if you please I won't believe you if you say this is the safest place on the planet no matter how many times you try to persuade me otherwise."

Dumbledore regarded him silently.

"I admit I may have been curious after you were regarded long ago as the person who vanquished Lord Voldemort."

"Vanquished? Is that supposed to make me feel better? Just because there's no one smart enough to see through your manipulative plans doesn't mean you can toy with my life. You know where he is because you had Snape watching his moves ever since he stepped foot as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. You think I can make him disappear once and for all. Does our lives mean so little to you?"

Dumbledore remained silent.

"Of course it does." Harry replied. "Because as long as there's magic you don't feel the pain when someone stabs you with a knife you have magic to remedy pain. When someone vanishes and goes missing you don't feel the pain that they feel when that person is lost. Would you accept death so willingly?"

"I have no fear of death, Harry."

The boy stared blankly at Dumbledore not being able to fathom the thoughts that lead him to make an insinuation like that.

HP

End Notes: I'm working on book 2 right now and I'm wondering what would you prefer I do with the characters from this point on?

1. What exactly do you want me to do with Lockehart in book 2?

a. Any more skills I should teach Harry?

2. In terms of pairings what should I do?

SLASH with Remus/Severus, Severus/Quirrell or Remus/Quirrell. (I am developing an awesome headcanon for Quirrell. I've never seen SS/QQ as guardians of Harry before and would love to see it.) If I do add slash it will be subtle and subtext at most.

or

Het with Snape/Charity, Remus/Narcissa or Remus/no one

or

Snape/someone else or Remus/someone else You can convince me.

3. Preference: Regulus or Sirius

4. Ron/OC or Ron/canon female character. You can convince me.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9. The Horrifying Truth

Around lunch time, the feeling of unease hadn't left Harry however and he decided to tell Susan and Hannah about what had happened.

Lily had overheard their conversation as they were heading to the Great Hall to have their meal.

"I'm not surprised." she said. "About Professor Moreau I mean. I used to visit him quite often when I was younger. He often visited my parents, they were helping him control his curse. That personality that came into play is the result of a spell by the dark entity known as Malicious Intent, a dark wizard who sacrificed his own body to become a disembodied spirit. My parents had created the cure for him as he was pleaded with my mother to help him."

"Cure?" Harry asked, before he turned to snap at Lily. "If there was a cure why in all seven hells did he try to kill me?"

"I don't know but it isn't like him to not have the cure on him. I'm certain that's why they hired him in the first place. There would be no way the school board would hire a complete psychopath for the job."

"You don't think Professor Quirrell might have stolen the cure, do you?" Hannah asked nervously, biting her fingernails.

"I have no doubt. Professor Moreau removed a memory charm on my brain. Turns out Snape isn't the enemy like I thought he was." Harry explained. "I've been obliviated."

Susan looked up at the headtable where Quirrell was sitting before they went their separate ways.

"Harry, what drink are we having today?" She asked him with sheer puzzlement.

"Why'd you ask?"

"Don't we usually get served pumpkin juice with lunch?"

At the left side from where he was sitting there was a glass of a black coloured concoction.

"Hey that looks like that potion that Professor Moreau tried to give you."

Just as Harry was about to walk over to the staff table and say something to him, Professor Quirrell took a drink from the glass.

Harry was trying to think how in all the seven seas did Professor Quirrell get his hands on that black drink. Surely Professor Moreau couldn't have done so, Snape had made sure Dumbledore removed him from the rest of the students.

He approached Hermione to tell her about his concerns. Ron was nowhere to be found and pitched no effort to be involved in Harry's life after his betrayal.

Hermione's eyes widened with horror at what Harry had said clutching at her throat.

"Hermione, what's the matter?"

Tears were at the corner of her eyes and she looked to be panicking.

"Hermione calm down. That drink couldn't possibly be poison." Harry said without realizing that if Quirrell was gone that the device attached around her neck might have killed her. Instead he continued on about how he discovered the secret of the mirror and about how he was obliviated.

"I'm thinking of seeing Snape after lunch before heading to class. Do you want to come with me?"

She shook her head.

"Alright."

Just as Harry was about to leave though, Hermione had clutched his shirt.

"Hermione, I thought you didn't want to come."

Hermione nodded but stood on her feet certain to always walk in his vicinity.

HPSS

As they both exited the Great Hall, Harry saw Neville running downstairs. His face was sweaty and he panting harshly.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Just running from a couple of bullies." He said, looking rather flush in the face. "Where are you two going?"

"I'm heading towards the dungeons to talk with Professor Snape."

"Hermione, will you be fine with Neville?"

Hermione shook her head clinging even tighter on Harry's shirt.

"Let go of me, Hermione."

Neville helped him by removing her hands from his shirt.

As he encroached on Snape's office, Harry knocked on his door.

"Enter."

Harry entered as quietly as possible, Snape turned and saw him lingering in the doorway.

"What are you doing here, Mr Potter?"

"Do you remember what happened when I was taken to the hospital wing by Professor Quirrell?"

"What are you talking about?" Snape asked irritably.

"There was a memory block on my mind. I had the memory Quirrell had come from a secret passage on the right side where the mirror was and you attacked me from the back and he stunned you and then took me to the hospital wing. After the block was removed, I found we were both attacked from the back but it's fuzzy because I only have the memory prior to him obliviating me. I was thinking you might know the rest of the details."

The back of Snape's hand made it's way to Harry's forehead.

"Do you have a fever?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I don't have a fever." Harry replied with frustration/

"There is no chamber leading to a mirror. Quirrell never went through the chamber either because believe me I'd remember something like that."

"What if that memory was removed from your memory? I have evidence that Quirrell had tempered with your memories." Harry retorted furiously.

"Don't waste my time, Potter. If you're just here to exchange pleasantries I don't want to hear it."

Harry huffed leaving his office certain to slam the door upon his exit running into Quirrell on the way.

Neville and Hermione meanwhile were lingering around the dungeons with a sense of unease upon encroaching Slytherin territory.

The fair plump looking boy was sure the girl was anxious beyond worry. He only wished he knew why.

"Ah, there he is."

"Smuckbottom."

They both turned around and Neville saw it was Chelsea and Janet the girls who made it their past time to bully him among other things.

"Crabbe, Goyle, he's down here."

Neville panicked. Hermione had a look of confusion at the fear present in his eyes.

He dragged Hermione away from the entrance of the dungeons hiding in a corridor in the shadows near Snape's office just as Harry had popped out from there.

Both were amazed at seeing Quirrell coming from the right side.

Hermione pushed at Neville's arm until it relinguished it's hold and she approached them giving Quirrell a nasty glare.

Harry turned towards Hermione.

"Hermione, what are you doing down here?"

"Hey Hermione wait up." Neville called out to her. "What's going on, Harry?"

"Professor Quirrell cast a memory charm on Snape."

"I did not." Quirrell replied as if scandalised.

"Yeah? Then explain why I have two separate memories of what happened to that mirror and why only one of them makes sense." Harry said. "You couldn't have known how many traps were in the chamber leading to the mirror of desire unless you were there yourself. Snape has told me he was keeping an eye on you so he would know if you were there at any other time. Therefore concluding you could have only been there one time and that one time was when you implanted the memory of going through that secret corridor that only 'Snape' knew about."

Quirrell snorted.

"Fine, I'll admit it. You caught me."

"Reverse the charm now. If you try any games I'll utilise the spells I have learned from Snape. I have been training from him so I am armed and dangerous." Harry threatened darkly.

Quirrell raised his hands as Harry grabbed the wand from the holster attached to his trousers, pointing the wand at his back.

"Knock on the door." Harry commanded.

The man proceeded to do just that. Snape greeted them unhappily.

"What's he doing here?"

"You wanted evidence. He can reverse the memory charm."

Snape stepped aside as Quirrell stepped in.

"Why do you have him at wand point?" He asked.

"In case he tries something funny." Harry said in reply.

"Potter you are aware that I won't agree to this."

"Confundo."

Snape's eyes immediately glazed over.

With his wand digging in Quirrell's back, Harry uttered dangerously.

"Remove it right now."

Quirrell approached Snape clutching on his shoulders. The man's bright eyes gazing sharply into the depthless black pools.

Then just as suddenly Quirrell clutched at his throat falling to the ground. The poison was kicking in.

Hermione pushed Harry aside in the nick of time as Snape fired a green hex in their direction.

"What the-"

The door slammed open, Professor Moreau greeting them.

Harry fired a hex.

"Expelliarmus."

Snape immediately procurred a shield.

"Bombarda." Moreau said, his wand pointing at the ceiling.

Heaps of rocks fell on Snape incapacitating him.

Moreau turned behind him where Harry could see a man and a woman standing behind him.

The couple approached Quirrell.

"A disembodied spirit is possessing Quirrell." The woman said as if giving Moreau confirmation about something. "I don't think it's Malicious Intent though. Should we still remove it?"

"It would be advisable as I'm sure Ms Granger would love to have her voice back."

"Y-You but how?" Harry asked stammering his words puzzled by Moreau's actions. Was Lily right was the man really a good person at heart?

"Lily has been trying to contact my son after having lost the antidote to the curse that has ailed me since I attended this school. These are her parents who are ghost hunters." Moreau explained.

The woman grumbled.

"Fine, ghost whisperers. They're also acclaimed potion masters having developed a curse for my condition. I was in close contact with them before this as we suspected Malicious Intent was residing at your school. They told me they sensed a disembodied spirit fitting his description and I couldn't miss the chance of engaging him once and for all."

"Malicious Intent?"

"It's a dark Entity. A disembodied magical form that can take on any shape."

"Cornelius, can you help me over here?" The woman uttered once more.

The man approached her as she began making a cut in her arm with a knife. She handed the blood over to Cornelius who did the same thing.

Dipping their fingers in the blood they began drawing runes around Quirrell's body.

Harry gasped.

"Those are runes. I thought those were only used in Transfiguration."

"They can be used in blood rituals as well though those tend to linger a bit towards dark magic. Right now they're doing their purifying technique." Moreau explained as he began walking closer to Snape who was buried under the rocks. His fingers prodded at the man's eyes opening them just a hair his gaze bearing into Snape's unconscious eyes for an instant before he turned away.

"Is he alright?" Harry asked.

"The memory block cast on his mind had another charm attached to it. Breaking through that memory charm caused that spell to come into play and that was Quirrell's plan all along. You should be more cautious, Mr Potter."

"Evanesco." He said clearing the rocks from Snape's person.

Harry saw the ritual going on at the other side of the room. A bright light encompassed Quirrell's body which spasmed out of control.

A disembodied spirit with a bald head and snakelike eyes exited the body within a split second.

It screamed, turned and screeched in Harry's direction.

"We'll meet again, Harry Potter."

"Rennervate." Moreau chanted as his wand pointed at Snape.

Groaning at the pain to his back, Snape got stood on his elbows. His eyes widened with fright at the sight of Professor Moreau.

"It's alright Professor. He just saved my life."

~HPSS ~

Not long after these events transpired Harry and Snape were both escorted to the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey scolded them both but it was with much elation that Harry found himself very happy to have the company of Severus Snape in the bed next to his.

"With everything that has gone on I'm shocked we haven't died yet. First the troll then the three headed dog and the trap door."

"Speaking of three-headed dog. Where did you hear that melody that you were humming?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Snape snorted. "My mother used to sing that lullaby before I went to sleep every night."

"So you are a mother's boy."

"Quiet Potter." Snape snapped. Harry marveled at the fact the professor turned such a fabulous shade of red at the proclamation. It must have been quite embarrassing to admit something like that.

"Say Professor I'm curious what was that memory that Quirrell erased from before?"

"Potter." Snape warned. "I'm not exactly happy with your methods in extorting my trust. You could have killed me."

"Killed you? According to Moreau, your mind had strong defences in place when Quirrell had removed the memory charm and you were trying to kill me."

This was true. The moment Snape had started relaxing in the hospital wing everything came back and he wasn't too happy at what he had nearly done to the boy.

Snape had completely forgot about the attack on Quirrell and as Dumbledore had told him to remain out of Quirrell's line of suspicion, he had only been keeping an eye on Quirrell at the time as he usually did. He had no idea Quirrell had even attacked them but now he remembered Quirrell had pointed his wand at him and cast the imperius curse on him. He had demanded Snape kill the boy. Snape however had a strong resistance to the imperius curse but the desire to kill was still there at the time.

The taste of his blood would be so delicious if he let himself taste it. He had revelled in the boy's fear liked the idea of the chase like a predator pursuing prey.

The boy was a threat. It was him that had the intention of stealing the stone after Quirrell had got his grubby hands on it. He had blackmailed Moreau, threatened to kill his son. The boy had a short life span already with a very dangerous disease that cut his life span in half. The man's only choice was getting the philosopher's stone to save his son's life but Potter interfered.

What Snape hadn't planned on was growing warm to the boy. He had thought he had closed himself off from emotions a long time ago.

Snape had grown warm towards the boy and he couldn't harm him.

"You're right." Snape said. "I was trying to kill you. I've been trying to kill you from day 1."

"What are you talking about?"

"I remember genuinely wanting you dead."

"We played chess and you were giving me good advice and everything. How could you have wanted me dead?" Harry asked.

"You think that would be enough to sway me into not killing you. Don't make me laugh. When you were down there near that mirror." Snape explained. "We were attacked by Quirrell but you also fail to realise that the memory that was erased was my sheer intention of killing you. When you regained consciousness I attacked you with full intention of killing you. It was me, not Quirrell."

"Oh." Harry said looking very surprised. "If you wanted to kill me then how did I wind up in the hospital wing afterwards? There's no way Quirrell would drag me here."

"At the same time, I couldn't kill you." Snape said head behind his arms, facing the ceiling. "I had every intention of stealing that stone to get back at Dumbledore for how he incovenienced me. Letting me watch over you. He's not the good guy he claims to be. If he was he wouldn't have hired Quirrell nor would he have left that stone here in the first place. He could praddle on and on about protecting that stone but the fact of the matter is he wanted it too but he had no one to get to it. Your friend Weasley stopped me just when I was about to kill you. Used a disarming hex if I remember right."

"Why would Dumbledore want the stone?"

"He can't stand living in pain. The old man can't bear the thought of being cold and alone in a deep grave having to live with the thought of experiencing pain before his death. He doesn't even accept the conditions that come with death." Snape scoffed in disgust.

"I can't say I don't particularly blame him. Pain is something reasonable to fear I certainly wouldn't want experience it before I die."

"Don't say that. You aren't going to die unless I kill you and I assure you I will make certain that it's painless." He snapped.

Professor Quirrell came in as they were talking.

"Severus, Mr Potter." He greeted them curtly. "I have removed the contraption on Ms Granger's throat. I'm sincerely sorry for my actions. I did have control over some of my actions and though You know who's presence was partially to blame. I feel that I must take partial responsibility as well."

Harry nodded.

Just then Hermione popped up from behind him.

"Hey Harry. I'm sorry about everything that has happened. I would have helped you but I couldn't speak." She said before embracing him.

Snape coughed getting their attention.

"Ms Granger, I'm hoping you won't disagree to come by and visit Emily during the summer. She's taken a bit of a liking to you."

"Oh it's not a problem, Professor. I'll let my mum know." She said.

HP

End Notes: This is the final part of book 1. Next chapter will be beginning book 2. Again let me know what you'd like to see in book 2 otherwise I cannot guarantee the changes in book 2 will be a development that many will like.


End file.
